Natural Beekeeping International Forum

welshofdave · Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 12:19 pm Post subject: Swarms available - Essex

Plenty of swarms available in Essex. Please get in touch.

hannah donovan · Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 12:36 am Post subject: stll got any swarms?

hi
do you still have swarms and where are you please

welshofdave · Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 12:01 pm Post subject:

I have a sneaking suspicion we've already been in touch, on a different list.

hannah donovan · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 10:23 am Post subject: THANKYOU

Hi dave...
I think you offered me a swarm today..

Here is where i got my advice from as you sounded doubtful.. i got it from phil chandler on topbarhive site.

to quote .. Phil Chandler 'Don't forget to use shellac varnish on the inside'

and this

Phil Chandler: Dissolve shellac in pure alcohol, methylated spirit is fine, I think, as long as it is aired for a few days before bees are exposed to it. You can add some propolis to the mix to make it smell irresistible to bees..

but we told him we dont have that much time... so he siad beeswax with a bit of propolis is fine..

PLEASE still keep us in mind.. we really do love our girls.. and we have learned so much from other people, we are constantly learning new things every day

Barbara · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 1:24 pm Post subject:

Hannah, I'm not sure if you are aware but this is Phil Chandler's site and from reading your other posts, it seems you already have some bees..... are you planning on having more than one colony?
It might be better at this early stage to stick with one and gain some experience with that until next season and then split them to populate your other hive, if you really want two. It is not unheard of in good conditions for a hive to build up and swarm again in the same season, so you might even find you have a swarm of your own in 6 or so weeks time.

Dexter's shed · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 2:23 pm Post subject:

it's certainly crazy in essex, just got back today from collecting my 2nd swarm, the garden is getting a bit full, 5 colonies there now plus another 4 in my woodland

Smorning · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 5:21 pm Post subject: Same in kent

It's swarming season for sure in Kent never had so many calls, 5 captured in two weeks and running out of hives !

AugustC · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 6:30 pm Post subject:

couldn't get some of them to fly up this way could you.
they're still as quiet as church mice here.

Barbara · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 10:24 pm Post subject:

Andy, they have leap frogged you and started further north.... really shocked this afternoon to come home and find my first on my cherry sapling. Don't know how it didn't snap it off like my apple sapling last year. Cherry must be more supple than apple wood!.
Weather was not good for swarming. Cool and blustery and it kept coming overcast and looking like rain and boy were they feisty. Sitting here with very fat hands as I've taken 4 or 5 stings in each. Caught me out as I didn't have my gloves with me. Never had a swarm like that and yet I'm assuming/guessing they came from one of my hives. They have all been as well mannered as they always are. They should have plenty of honey as I haven't harvested any, so I'm hoping it's just the weather that made them so grumpy and they calm down in their new home.

hannah donovan · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 10:58 pm Post subject: Barberas reply

yes barbera i know its phils site.. this is where i bagan ..i came eher first for advice, then i wanted to go on one of phils courses,... so i contacted him.. but the london courses were nothappening.. so i freinded phil on facebook and i regualrily go on top bar hive sites on facebook.. where i can get instant answers that i dont always get here.. as i have asked for london 'carers' to make a group, but no interest..

i was telling dave what phils recomendation was as when he rang e , he sounded a little doubtful of what i was doing..

and yes i had planned on running two colonies as there are so many swarms available right now, i figured i could give a swarm a lovely natural home..

but you may have a point... will discuss with other half..

Dexter's shed · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 11:27 pm Post subject: Re: Barberas reply

Adam Rose · Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 7:34 am Post subject:

ingo50 · Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 12:54 pm Post subject:

Third swarm from my hives in ten days, Lost two and then the bulk of another one yesterday ,must have had more than one queen. I managed to get them into my basket and left it up the ladder so all the bees could get inside. When the basket was removed, a smallish clump remained on the ladder end, so I left them hoping they would follow. Swarm transferred into bait hive, that's all I had left. Queen must have been in the lot left on ladder, as swarm then left the bait hive very rapidly. The air was buzzing and I left them to it, they did not gather up the tree again. Later found about a quarter size of the same swarm at shoulder height, which I house in the bait hive. I put a strip of queen excluder over the entrance. It is humid and raining on and off today, so will hopefully be able to inspect my 2 mature hives tomorrow. The two smaller swarms from a friend seem to have settled nicely in a Warre nuc box and full sized TBH. What a week!

Lacewing · Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 11:42 pm Post subject:

Ingo I feel a bit cheered up after reading your post! Some people sound as though they catch and hive swarms with unfailing efficiency and Zen-like calm. After being caught out last year, really thought - for a few days - I was ahead of the game for a change. Clearly, tempting fate. Should know better! Thought I had enough kit, and, not being in a vg situation to just let bees swarm here, had split colonies and thought I'd checked all well enough for space, signs of swarming etc. etc. This weekend? Total run-around with disappearing and reappearing swarms (if they are the same ones of course? and from where?) with the ladder, loppers, and so forth. Tonight one swarm now in a nuc which is probably too small for it, another in a laundry basket - as they scorned a National and TB bait hive only a few feet away and wouldn't stay in the TBH nuc last night either. Today they didn't seem to want to descend into a National brood box below the upended basket - and they sure manage to hang on well to the inside of baskets! My main hope is there are still live queens in with these ... And meanwhile, the original hives still looking very lively...

Dexter's shed · Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 7:58 am Post subject:

I keep seeing this on lots of forums, but I'm amazed seeing the quote here, especially when you motto is "friends of the bees", keepers putting on queen excluders to stop the queen from escaping????
surely a swarm is looking for a new home, and you give it new foundation etc, it should be happy, if it leaves, there is a reason, maybe the box is too small,
in 4yrs of collecting swarms I have never seen a need to trap bees in, and never had none leave I'll add, remember we are called keepers not owners

a good reason to own and use a smoker, if you have splits of bees on different branches/ladder etc, puffing smoke will make them move into the box, it saves leaving important bees behind

hannah donovan · Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 9:14 pm Post subject: no longer want a swarm..

thankyou dave for your offer, but barbera has a point, and after discussion, both pete and I DECIDED WE MUST GET USED TO CARING FOR the swarm we have.. then next yer we can think about another colony

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