Swarm/mating flight thing #4

[Jen]

Like clockwork it always happens right around 1:00pm. This time I was out of town and hubby was home to find the bees grounded, he thinks it happened within a half an hour.









The last picture, it's getting near dark and they won't go inside, should I gently move them into a bowl and dump them into the top of the hive?

[jb63]

Have you considered making some nuc boxes?They are handy to have around.

[Jen]

Hi jp    Yes! But right now I'm just trying to get my wonderlust girls settled down. Then, my options are to requeen to help this swarm happy bunch settle down. Or, start making nucs ~ we're discussing this now.

[jb63]

Are there any eggs in the box that the bees are hanging on in the pics?I assume that's where they came from.

[Jen]

I won't find out until Sunday when I can get into the hives since the first swarm. And yes, the swarms are coming from the double deep. 

[tecumseh]

not so certain of exactly your habitat but in many places the time would be more consistent with a mating flight than swarming.  swarming here generally takes place in the mid morning say 9 to 10.  mating flight are more typical in the early pm hours of the day.

if it is a mating flight I would think about waiting a bit beyond Sunday for any kind of inspection that would disturb this hive.   newly mated queens with no eggs or larvae are subject to begin murdered by their sisters.

[Jen]

Ooooooh    Well I sure don't want that!

If a mating flight can last up to a week then maybe I should just hold off for another week or so...

By the way Tec, does this particular behavior of the bees boiling out of the hive, and then back to land on the grounds around the hive resemble a mating flight? Lazybkpr posted a vid where the producer of the vid was 'thinking' it was a mating fight but was not sure. I would sure like to know for the future. 

[LazyBkpr]

   You want to be SURE about something in beekeeping?     
   With YOUR bees?     

  heheh..
   All I can say is I have seen that behavior from hives with new queens, and they didn't Swarm, so I had to GUESS, that it was because of mating flights, much like the poor fellow in the vid I posted.
   I can freely admit that every time I see it my heart skips a beat. I figure one day thats where my wife will find me.. laying in the grass when my heart doesnt restart.

[Jen]

Scott- ""You want to be SURE about something in beekeeping? With YOUR bees?""

THAT is hilarious 

~ My hubby as well, best departure he could ever wish for is to snooze his way into the heavens while deep in the woods ~