The new hive with the caught swarm has pollen going in and the bait hive might be back to scout bees and no robbing.
#beekeeping #bees #beehive #BaitHive #BeeSwarm #apiary #SwarmTrap #April21 #HoneyBees
The new hive with the caught swarm has pollen going in and the bait hive might be back to scout bees and no robbing.
#beekeeping #bees #beehive #BaitHive #BeeSwarm #apiary #SwarmTrap #April21 #HoneyBees
This same hive swarmed at the same degree days last year and it's not even the same bees unless the swarm I caught and put in the box was from there originally.
My bee log entry last night:
"Last year: April 23, 2025 107.4 + 184.9 = 292.3 Blossom degrees
Swarm day, West hive, might have been a fire drill,, but that meant queen flying."
"Apr 18, 2026 Feb 8.5 + Mar 145.9 = 154.4 + 150.5 = 304.9 Blossom degrees"
#beekeeping #Swarm #BeeSwarm #SwarmCatching #bees #HoneyBees #apiary
One of the hives swarmed today and it was low enough in a tree I could catch it while standing 7 feet up on a ladder with a fiberglass pole I modified. Once most of the bees were caught the weight couldn't be held vertical and then I heard a crack from the pole I let it go and landed on my roof. I got them in an empty hive before dark.
#beekeeping #Swarm #BeeSwarm #SwarmCatching #bees #HoneyBees #apiary
A view into the hive as it was getting dark tonight. There seems to be enough bees they are hanging below the frames.
I didn't observe any of my hives swarm in the last week since I checked them and the one high population hive stopped bearding after I swapped the supers around, which seemed odd but I doubt they swarmed that same day and took a week to move into the bait hive. Mystery bees or an earlier swarm that came back after outgrowing whatever they found.
The swarm moving in from start to finish, 20 minutes of video in 20 seconds.
I looked at the bait hive this afternoon and there were a lot of bees behaving a bit odd there. The bait hive has been quiet for most of the week since I checked some of the hives a week ago. I put a camera up and when I was checking it later there was a swarm moving in! They say a swarm in July is not worth a fly, we'll see. Looking at the hive now you'd think it was just a few scout bees unless you paid attention.
Swarm update. They flew off around 12:00 yesterday when I wasn't looking at the camera I had pointed at them. Activity at the bait hive was typical for what it has been for a week or more.
Log entry today for the bait hive:
"12:39 Four bees in bait hive. Much less activity, no warring activity, it's as if one camp of scouts got back home last night and exclaimed "Where the fuck did everyone go?!""
It's a swarmy day.