They were about four feet above the ground in a typically dense cluster on a hawthorn hedge. I swept the swarm into a box. I got most of them but inevitably a fair number flopped onto the ground, while others were stirred into a whirling flight around me. I had laid a piece of white sheeting on the ground in readiness. The box was left on the sheet with the lid open a crack and a piece of wood for a ramp so that the remaining bees would wend their way up into the box attracted by the pheremones of the queen. I expected her to be in the box as she would have been in the centre of the cluster. I had rubbed the box with lemon balm leaves as smallholder and beekeeper friend Sue recommends as this is a known attractant for bees. Sue has quite a bit of experience with collecting swarms so I am happy to copy her practice on this.
I left the bees to it until nearly dusk and on inspection I was pleased to find that the swarm was virtually entirely in the box, at which point I closed the lid on them. Doing this too early could mean leaving behind too many stragglers.
The next part of the operation was to 'hive them', that is put them in their new accommodation. I had an empty hive set up all ready. There are a couple of different approaches to hiving a collected swarm. I chose the dumping method. Basically, turn the box upside down and give a firm thump on the bottom to dislodge the bees and they drop into the hive in a large clump. Additional frames were then carefully added and the rest of the hive put together. As I had no frames of honey reserve to spare I put in a feeder of sugar solution for some 'fast food'. The bees will have gorged on honey before swarming so they won't be immediately hungry. The box was left by the hive for the remaining bees in the swarm to find their own way in before nightfall.
I don't really see myself as a beekeeper, more a smallholder who keeps bees. I'm always impressed at the knowledge of long-time serious beekeepers, but then, as is often said, if you ask advice of three different beekeepers you'll get five different answers back (or some variation of this). No doubt others will have gone about the exercise differently. But the main thing is what you find works for you. Hopefully, this swarm will decide to stay put and do what bees do. Ultimately, its their decision.
 |
| Most of the swarm are in the box. The remaining bees had the rest of the day to find their way in. |
I am so impressed that you did this. But full of questions
ReplyDeleteWhere did they come from?
How far from "home" might they have flown?
Do beekeepers put up posters on lampposts (or Facebook) saying Lost Bees, in the same way as families who lose their pet cat or dog?
Do all beekeepers have a spare empty hive, just in case?
When bees swarm they generally stop nearby but scout bees go looking for a suitable new home. They return and pass information to the colony as to its location and other scout bees go off to check it out and return. When enough scout bees indicate the same information with a high level of excitment the swarm takes off in its entirety to their new accommodation. This is generally within a mile of the old hive but could be as much as three miles. Very often it is close by.
DeleteIf one of your colonies swarms and you can't see it in the vicinity then you have to accept the loss. About half the colony will still be in the hive and so its a case of that building up again. But much less honey to harvest if any. How much of the summer is left has an important bearing on this. Local bee associations can be contacted to collect swarms and they will have people happy to take them.
Its a good idea to have a spare hive avaialable for this eventuality as this is a good way of expanding the number of colonies you have. You can buy a small nucleus colony but they are in the region of £250-£350.
I'll check my existing hives shortly to see if the swarm came from mine. There is a beekeeper whose hives are about half a mile away which could also be a possibility. I won't mind if it was from one of mine as it will have created an additional colony and saves me the troubl of splitting a hive in order to expand.
I see you are very tempted to become a beekeeper Angela...
This is so interesting! I remember seeing a swarm of bees all over a car at Epsom Racecourse when I was a youngster. I wonder what happened to them!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure their descendants are in in colonies somewhere abouts!
DeleteThere's never a dull moment for you Philip. Very educational too.
ReplyDeleteEver kept bees Dave?
Delete