Changed into our bee suits we tackled the swarm and its now in its new home.
On checking hive 4 we found 3 queen cells. Removing 2 we've left 1 which looks like a good cell so hopefully next week there should be a virgin queen wandering around.
Monday 26 May 2014
Guess what was waiting for us when we came home
So we'd been away for the weekend, all the time wondering if there had been a swarm and we might have missed it. Well... we got home and did the usual walk to the bottom of the garden and found a swarm. Fortunately this time it didn't go very far.
Changed into our bee suits we tackled the swarm and its now in its new home.
On checking hive 4 we found 3 queen cells. Removing 2 we've left 1 which looks like a good cell so hopefully next week there should be a virgin queen wandering around.
Changed into our bee suits we tackled the swarm and its now in its new home.
On checking hive 4 we found 3 queen cells. Removing 2 we've left 1 which looks like a good cell so hopefully next week there should be a virgin queen wandering around.
Sunday 18 May 2014
And again!!
Yesterday was spent swarm catching yet again. This time as we were doing our weekly inspections we noticed rather a lot of bees circling Harmony 1. Yes, tell tale sign that they are swarming.
Within the space of 15 minutes, they had circled, flown and congregated in a tree 2 doors down.
Our problems are just beginning.
1. swarm was even higher than the previous day.
2. branch they were on was inaccessible.
3. ladders wouldn't reach.
4. hottest day of year so far. (not good to be in a bee suite)
After an hour or so the decision was made to saw the branch and let the bees drop. Done - bees on the grass but making their way to a shrub (much easier to get).
Bees collected from shrub in the usual "shake branch over box" routine. Put into nuke and are now sitting in our garden.
Sorry there are no pics but the camera was the last thing on our minds.
Within the space of 15 minutes, they had circled, flown and congregated in a tree 2 doors down.
Our problems are just beginning.
1. swarm was even higher than the previous day.
2. branch they were on was inaccessible.
3. ladders wouldn't reach.
4. hottest day of year so far. (not good to be in a bee suite)
After an hour or so the decision was made to saw the branch and let the bees drop. Done - bees on the grass but making their way to a shrub (much easier to get).
Bees collected from shrub in the usual "shake branch over box" routine. Put into nuke and are now sitting in our garden.
Sorry there are no pics but the camera was the last thing on our minds.
Friday 16 May 2014
Swarmy weather
The colonies are growing at different rates. Harmony 1 is still quite small, the queen died but there was a queen cell waiting to hatch so we left the girls to it. Not much in the way of stores but that should pick up.
Harmony 3 was checked last weekend and we found some queen cells, took the queen out, put her in a nuke and left the cells to do their thing too.
Harmony 5 is a massive colony, there are already 3 supers on. Cant wait to see what its like tomorrow when we check again.
H2 and H4 are just plodding on.
As is the pattern each evening nowadays the OH goes down to the bees to check for swarms... Oh he found one alright. 35ft up in a hawthorn tree.
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Can you see our virgin queen in amongst the workers? she's beautiful and quite distinctive with her redish brown legs.
Harmony 3 was checked last weekend and we found some queen cells, took the queen out, put her in a nuke and left the cells to do their thing too.
Harmony 5 is a massive colony, there are already 3 supers on. Cant wait to see what its like tomorrow when we check again.
H2 and H4 are just plodding on.
As is the pattern each evening nowadays the OH goes down to the bees to check for swarms... Oh he found one alright. 35ft up in a hawthorn tree.
Can you see our virgin queen in amongst the workers? she's beautiful and quite distinctive with her redish brown legs.
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