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  • REPORT A SWARM FOR LOCAL BEEKEEPERS.
REPORT A SWARM FOR LOCAL BEEKEEPERS.
 #11159  by AdamD
 12 Jun 2021, 20:41
It seems that many people put swarms on local groups in Facebook nowadays (Which is fine as I don't get the call!) I get calls nearly every day about something or other - "I have a bumble bee in my garden, do you want it?" was a good one this year! So far, only two genuine swarm calls received. One in a chimney on a 3 storey building which I would not be able to get and another in an unshakeable trellis where I saw the queen as I smoked them up into a box and caged her which made it quite easy.
 #11174  by MickBBKA
 13 Jun 2021, 23:48
I think in my area there are an increasing number of feral colonies judging by the increase in actual honey bee swarms. Its funny when I get a call to say my bees have swarmed on our estate, they haven't because I don't have any here ! There had been quite a few scouts nosing around my spare stuff at home on Wed evening so I stuck a bait hive in the garden and 9.30am Thursday a swarm moved in...LMAO. Seen 5 others reported close by over the last week which I avoided. I have found the best method for reducing swarming is to remove my self from the swarm collectors list and stop collecting swarmy bees. Yes I broke my rule and caught a swarm at home, but hey, what you gonna do ?? LOL
 #11180  by Patrick
 14 Jun 2021, 12:54
AdamD wrote:It seems that many people put swarms on local groups in Facebook nowadays (Which is fine as I don't get the call!) I get calls nearly every day about something or other - "I have a bumble bee in my garden, do you want it?" was a good one this year! So far, only two genuine swarm calls received. One in a chimney on a 3 storey building which I would not be able to get and another in an unshakeable trellis where I saw the queen as I smoked them up into a box and caged her which made it quite easy.
Interesting you say that Adam, I used to get many swarm calls a day over a hot weekend a few year back. Maybe up to thirty swarm calls over the season. Over the last five years they have tailed off and most that I have received have been in buildings and irrecoverable (to me, anyway). I am still on swarm lists but wonder if there are just a lot more people collecting nowadays with fewer people declining to collect. It was once a commonplace occurrence after the first few of the season for older beekeepers not wanting any more colonies to be phoning round to get someone else to do the call out? I did wonder if some just left the calls to go to ansaphone as they always became mysteriously unobtainable on certain hot weekends :). I also notice the BBKA swarm collectors map shows many more names locally than once upon a time, which is great to see.

Domestic harmony often got pretty stretched as another weekend's plans were interrupted by a succession of stressed householders leading to dashing off across the County. Oddly as an aside, I have not seen an accessible prime swarm for ages - most have been relatively modest castes. I wonder if that is a function of more feral colonies?
 #11189  by NigelP
 14 Jun 2021, 18:26
MickBBKA wrote:
13 Jun 2021, 23:48
I think in my area there are an increasing number of feral colonies judging by the increase in actual honey bee swarms. Its funny when I get a call to say my bees have swarmed on our estate, they haven't because I don't have any here ! There had been quite a few scouts nosing around my spare stuff at home on Wed evening so I stuck a bait hive in the garden and 9.30am Thursday a swarm moved in...LMAO. Seen 5 others reported close by over the last week which I avoided. I have found the best method for reducing swarming is to remove my self from the swarm collectors list and stop collecting swarmy bees. Yes I broke my rule and caught a swarm at home, but hey, what you gonna do ?? LOL
You might be surprised by how many "bee losers" are unregistered with their back garden apiaries. I know of several around me who have little idea of swarm control.
 #11347  by MickBBKA
 28 Jun 2021, 23:27
Spot on Nigel. I have since discovered there is a beekeeper about 500 yds from my house who from the sound of it hasn't got a clue and isn't a member of any association. Its been bedlam around here and lots of people think its my bees even though I don't have any colonies at home now.
 #11356  by Patrick
 29 Jun 2021, 09:44
Snap, Mick.

I now take the view when people say your bees have swarmed, we consider it an implied reproach to our beekeeping whilst they just think of it as being helpful. Rather like reporting a suspected lost cat.

Unfortunately beekeeping wisdom regarding only inspecting in good weather hasn’t helped. It has been persistently unsettled all year so far and I have heard even experienced beekeepers saying the haven’t been into their bees because it’s too cold / wet or both. All very well, but by the time the sunny shirtsleeves weather does arrive it’s too late and they may have already gone. Clipping queens will buy you extra time but not indefinitely.
 #11381  by MickBBKA
 02 Jul 2021, 01:01
Patrick wrote:
29 Jun 2021, 09:44

Unfortunately beekeeping wisdom regarding only inspecting in good weather hasn’t helped. It has been persistently unsettled all year so far and I have heard even experienced beekeepers saying the haven’t been into their bees because it’s too cold / wet or both. All very well, but by the time the sunny shirtsleeves weather does arrive it’s too late and they may have already gone. Clipping queens will buy you extra time but not indefinitely.
I have no choice other than inspecting my bees whatever the weather. It never seems to bother them, but can be a pain when every bee is home and you can't see the comb under an inch of bees. Its a good job my bees are nice and gentle. Its horrible though when they drop off the frames and are too cold to get back in the hive.............In June.... :roll:
 #11382  by JoJo36
 02 Jul 2021, 05:20
I know generally they say check once a week for swarm cells to avoid the bees from sealing a queen cell and moving on but, I'm pretty sure once a week is still too little as I have torn down queen cells before and I'm sure they have made and sealed a cell a day or two before the next check was due just to catch me out??!!
Both my snelgrove 2 adapted methods seemed to work fine first but, the bees then went on to develop more queen cells so I have now its the demaree method so fingers crossed that may work!!
Its a good job I'm not planning on a holiday soon as I wouldn't be able to relax knowing that the bees are planning their exit!!! :)
 #11383  by NigelP
 02 Jul 2021, 08:19
Queen cell development ....
Timing is egg 3 days before "hatching" into a larvae
They remain as larvae being fed royal jelly for 5-6 days before becoming a sealed queen cell...... Plus bees can make queen cells develop from any larvae up to 3 days old.....
All of this timing is temperature dependent so there is some variability.
But larvae to sealed cell can be as short as 5 days.

Basically a 7 day inspection interval is too long to intercept queen cells before they are sealed, despite what the books tell us.
I clip queens so as to not lose work force, but sometimes I find they have sealed cells and attempted to swarm 5-6 days after last inspection.
 #11384  by AdamD
 02 Jul 2021, 09:00
I do wonder whether inspections can hasten queencell production. The reason for this is that the colony is all nice and dandy and the queens pheromones are just enough to keep the colony together. Then some human rips the roof off and disturbs the colony with the result that the bees lose pheromone and start to produce queencells, so by the time the next inspection comes along, the queencells are well on their way to being sealed or the queen has already gone. I know that I am pandering the the 'natural' beekeepers who don't want to inspect hives, ;) but it might be a case of dammed if you do dammed if you don't in some cases?