Swarm

[Cable_Fairy]

Just seen a video locally of a large swarm a mile up the valley, unfortunately an hour ago and someone else on scene collecting them.

[AdamD]

I was called out to one on 1st May. Earliest I know of. It was a NHS site and they were all in a tizz as bees were flying about. I advised the site manager that swarming bees have no nest to defend and are therefore more gentle than usual and that the bees would settle within 20 minutes or so. I turned up after about 1/2 hr and they had settled in someones garden on the other side of the fence, so off NHS property.
It was the first warm day for a couple of weeks so they might have been waiting to go for a few days.

[NigelP]

Doubt we will get any swarms uuup North until at least June. Queens have just started laying again, after their weather enforced brood break. Hopefully normal service is being resumed after what has been the longest wettest coldest spring I can ever recall up here.
Spring honey will simply not exist.
Last year first harvest was mid May.....and this year, early May, some hives still have feeders on.

[MickBBKA]

The few full inspections I have carried out only a couple of colonies had empty play cups although most had emerged and flying drones, so maybe another 2-3 weeks.

[AdamD]

I assumed the swarm was a prime one and clipped the queen on Saturday as I found her in the hive. I then panicked about sening too scissor-happy and wondered whether it was a prime swarm after all. However today there's a nice patch of eggs. Phew.
Yesterday afternoon about 3 pm, I was in the garden with SWIMBO and she said, "That sounds like a swarm" We looked around and walked around until we found it and she was right. I was impressed! A large swarm settled about 8 metres up a tree. Not mine as the two colonies I have at home have clipped queens and were checked the day before. The warm weather and the amount of nectar available has, I am sure, caught some beekeepers out.