first capture

[sahtlinurk]

Evening all,

Had a very first swarm taking residence in one of my baithives. had all my four baithives at home as was planning to paint and whack a few more nails in them but as i lifted one of the roofs off i had to put it back rather quickly .The box was full of bees.. Took the bait hives home two days ago from different locations and they were definitely all empty at the time.


Lauri

 

[Bee Bumble]

Lucky you! I am expecting lots of swarming the first warm day after this cold spell. They will all be getting very frustrated and plotting to move house.

 

[Bunn]

That's a bit of luck!

I'm fully expecting that when I go to capture my first few swarms that they'll be either hanging above a pond, at the top of an awkward tree or in a bramble bush...

 

[Zante]

Ah, that made me realise I have two bait hives up, but nowhere to put any captured swarms...

Would a nuc be enough for a short term accommodation?

 

[enrico]

Make sure they are still there after dusk. You can get a couple of hundred bees just checking out a hive.
E

 

[sahtlinurk]

took some photos. Will house them in proper nuc box asap.

Lauri

 

[Cussword]

That's a bit of luck!

I'm fully expecting that when I go to capture my first few swarms that they'll be either hanging above a pond, at the top of an awkward tree or in a bramble bush...

Bramble bush, definitely

 

[colinc]

Holly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[bjosephd]

Still seems early for swarms. I know they are happening but I can't imagine there are many drones about anywhere in the country really (uk)

Swarms at this stage I kind of feel is due to colonies just drastically running out of laying space as they are trying to (rapidly) expand (but not ideally divide and conquer leaving a virgin to mate with one lucky drone in the rain).

Romantic.

 

[colinc]

I'm seeing capped drone comb in my hives but very few emerged drones


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[JWF]

We've got loads of drones already out, and loads of drone brood ready to emerge down here in Kent.

I had a swarm last weekend - they were on a double brood plus super!

I've got one of my 14*12 colonies with three supers on, with consistently warm enough weather for the next week.

I'd say they're several weeks ahead of last year. Let's hope we get some rain soon otherwise the summer could well be tough.

 

[bjosephd]

Gosh! If Kent is representing what we're in for out West I best make an order of mire frames and boxes! £££

I want to start rearing a few queens and am getting impatient. So far all I've seen is capped drone, which the varroa have been patiently waiting all winter for!

 

[colinc]

We've got loads of drones already out, and loads of drone brood ready to emerge down here in Kent.

I had a swarm last weekend - they were on a double brood plus super!

I've got one of my 14*12 colonies with three supers on, with consistently warm enough weather for the next week.

I'd say they're several weeks ahead of last year. Let's hope we get some rain soon otherwise the summer could well be tough.

To be fair you are probably a few weeks ahead of me but I do have a crowded double brood with 2 supers on for the rape and another that just went double with 1 super. Hope the weather is suitable for a productive year. But in a couple of weeks the swarm watch will need to start in earnest


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[daroco]

Still seems early for swarms. I know they are happening but I can't imagine there are many drones about anywhere in the country really
.

I've seen emerged drones in quite a number of my hives for the last fortnight - and a hive with a DLQ that was given a frame of eggs has now raised their own queen and she is mated and laying (although I am very surprised by that and I'm sure the quality of the mating won't be particularly good)