Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 05:29:36 pm

Title: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 05:29:36 pm
Seriously! You guys are probably yawning by now! Swarm #5 took off like clockwork around 1:00, landed on the same cedar tree but on the lower branches, about the size of a basketball, a piece of cake to get. Hubby is home today, I'm luring him to help me with this one with a steak dinner and 15 minutes in a cheap motel. He's suiting up !!

(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs9.postimg.cc%2Fh4pgav5l7%2FDSCF9199.jpg&hash=7a9e81bd83018e14478d722e0a3268ef5e75a96b) (http://postimg.cc/image/h4pgav5l7/)

(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs9.postimg.cc%2F6bhy2coaz%2FDSCF9200.jpg&hash=d5c07bb62eeec2fce27c6ddcb80f9f88b1844506) (http://postimg.cc/image/6bhy2coaz/)

(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs9.postimg.cc%2Fsdctq4y6j%2FDSCF9201.jpg&hash=06dc537c064707d3afe30b51462733f09a5c69ba) (http://postimg.cc/image/sdctq4y6j/)

Is This Going To Go On All Flippin Summer???  :o
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Perry on April 06, 2014, 05:48:12 pm
I mean, it's great that you are able to catch them all, but why is this happening? Have you gone through the parent colony since the second swarm? It seems to me you went through it and left 2 cells after the initial swarm. I would be going through it again to find out what the heck is going on. Your parent colony will be getting weak casting off all these swarms. You need to find out.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: iddee on April 06, 2014, 06:47:51 pm
No, it won't last all summer. When the weather warms up he won't make it 15 minutes.   :laugh:
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: barry42001 on April 06, 2014, 06:50:08 pm
No the parent will eventually get so weak because of the protracted break in brood rearing, that they will not have the resources to generate Queens, workers, for much of anything else. worst the swarms they are casting swarms so small, they will require extensive feeding to survive. but then so will the parents colony. this has been discussed in the previous thread whers one asked is it possible for a colony, to swarm itself to death. and the answer is a inequitable yes.
you are watching it happen, you need to find out what the reason is.....and change the genetics of the colony..

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Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: LazyBkpr on April 06, 2014, 07:07:47 pm

   Well,  I am going to BET, with the deal that was made, that its HUBBY who is going in those hives and notching some cells so they will swarm..   with that kind of deal I would be making arrangements for a swarm every third day!!!!    ;D

    I believe swarming IS natural, but there is a line in the sand that has been crossed.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Yankee11 on April 06, 2014, 07:14:10 pm
I agree with Lazy- it's the hubby.  ;D
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: barry42001 on April 06, 2014, 07:26:51 pm
Lol, but for only 15 minutes, imagine what a hour might accomplish lol

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Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: LazyBkpr on April 06, 2014, 07:28:47 pm
Lol, but for only 15 minutes, imagine what a hour might accomplish lol

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   Thats on Hubbys shoulders. I cant coach him on how to make a better bargain.    :laugh:
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 08:01:37 pm
OTFLMAO!!!  :laugh:

Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: riverbee on April 06, 2014, 08:27:08 pm
if you put swarms back in the same hive from where they swarmed they will continue to swarm until you have nothing left, unless you  demarree. just my humble two cents.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: blueblood on April 06, 2014, 08:29:17 pm
So cornfusing....
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 08:57:39 pm
Hey Riv  :)  What's a demarree? googled it, not much help.

All the swarms but two, of which appeared to be mating flights and came back to the hive, have been put into new hive boxes.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 09:38:22 pm
Perry - ""Have you gone through the parent colony since the second swarm? It seems to me you went through it and left 2 cells after the initial swarm. I would be going through it again to find out what the heck is going on. Your parent colony will be getting weak casting off all these swarms. You need to find out""

Hi Perry ~ Actually today was the day! I was throwing on the jeans and a tank to go out and inspect. It has been two weeks and three days since Iddee told me to take a two week vacation, and these last three days I have my granddaughter here. So I step outside pulling on my bee shirt, and they are all up in the air. Dadgummit!

We watched... really hoping they would return to the hive again like the last two flights did. No such luck this time.

Apis suggested (I think it was apis) to wait another week to get into the mother hive because if there were mating flights coming from that hive that the bees may kill the mating queen. So I was going to check the first swarm hive to see if there were any eggs yet.

Here's what happened today. The swarm went into the cedar tree, it was about the size of a soccer ball. We shook them into a bucket
and set up a hive for our friend, he's going to take this swarm. While we were doing this, ANOTHER very small, verrrry small swarm headed over the top of our house. We think that one may have been a mating flight.

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO??!!??
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: iddee on April 06, 2014, 09:46:30 pm
Sounds like you were 3 days late getting there.  :'(
I thought you said you were going into it Friday.

Go into it now and see what the situation is.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 06, 2014, 10:25:57 pm
Hi Iddee  :)  I had my calendar marked for Friday, but my 5 year old granddaughter was here so I wasn't able to get a good chunk of time to get into the mother hive.

I'll be able to get into it tomorrow tho. Except it was suggested that I wait one more week because it appears as tho a queen is mating this week, and if I mess with the hive the bees may kill her  :sad:

What are your thoughts on that?
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: barry42001 on April 07, 2014, 12:14:33 am
where are they getting all these eggs from to generate Queens? I would have thought there is a substantial separation between the time the last egg was laid, and the first Queens hatched out? there should have been nothing young enough to be converted into a queen...

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Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: iddee on April 07, 2014, 07:30:20 am
Under normal circumstances, I agree. With what is happening now, I would be in there checking.
Title: Re: Swarm #5 For Jen
Post by: Jen on April 07, 2014, 11:52:43 am
I have to work today, but I'll be in the hive asap late this afternoon! Thanks guys.. you people are the only mentors I have ~hugs~