First Swarm Experience

[Wandering Man]

3Reds and I were requeening a hive yesterday when this happened:




We’d had an accidental swarm catch yesterday and had put the swarm in a Nuc. I guess the Nuc was too small for them.  These bees came out of that box. And I’m wondering if they didn’t also come out of that other hive you see in the video. We caught them and put them in this box:



Most of the bees went into the box, but some hung around outside. That frame you see on the front is the comb that attracted the swarm yesterday. There is a little nectar, some pollen and a couple of empty queen cups.



I went out last evening to tie down a Nuc we’d started a couple of days ago because we’ve been getting some pretty strong winds. I saw this. There is a queen excluder between the box and the entrance. I guess those poor bees couldn’t figure out how to get in? Or a second queen? I’ll check on them this afternoon after church. We had cold weather and rain last night.








image uploader

[Bakersdozen]

WM, thanks for all the video and pictures. 

[Wandering Man]

I forgot to mention what an amazing experience it was to be standing in the middle of the swarm as it was happening.  We had just finished looking in that Yellow Long Lang you see in the video.  I looked up to see the yard filled with bees and spotted the branch where they were landing.  I was able to walk through the swarm, get my phone and make the recording.  Then I set up the place I wanted to hive the swarm while it was still happening.  They had all clustered on the tree branch by the time I got the pickup backed up to the tree with my saw and bucket handy.

I've got an old used hive box with screen on the bottom that I used to capture the bees, and just threw on an outer cover to keep them contained while I carried the swarm over to their new home.

All of this was a first for me.

It was truly a great day in beekeeping for 3Reds and me.

[Jen]

To stand in the middle of a swarm is One Of My Most Fav Thing Ever!

This time of year, when I hear hubby shouting into the house "JENNIFER!!!!" I know what that means and I go running to stand right in the middle of all that magic.

Great vid Wman   

[Mikey N.C.]

Great video, it's really exciting the first time you see a swarm. Congrats to WMan-3Reds

[iddee]

Now you know another of the reasons us crazy beeks keep bees. That makes all the prior stings worth it.

[tecumseh]

it is difficult to describe the 'spiritual' feeling I have when I stand in the middle of a bee yard and a swarm emerges, swirls around you and then settles onto a tree.  sometimes I think it is as much the sound of it as anything else.  On occasion I tell folks the feeling when you find yourself in the midst of a hive swarming is 'how you should feel when you are in church'.

'a good beekeeper's bees never swarm'.... which evidently eliminates me from the competition of 'good' beekeeper.