…that’s when she called me.
May 1, 2014 mid afternoon…Photo by Mary Schamehorn. I’m glad Mary got a shot of this. When I got there, they were relatively peaceful.
4:38 pm…By the time I got there, the bees had settled within the birdhouse. I looked at it, determined I could remove it from the post, and got my tools together. Ha ha, the screws were rusty I couldn’t get them to budge before stripping them out. I had to remove the post too.
I placed it next to the newly assembled and baited Warre hive in my bee garden. I was hoping the bees would recognize a 4 star lodging with ample room to grow…they didn’t. I gave them plenty of time to reconsider, but they weren’t having it. I couldn’t leave them there, like that. I didn’t want to grind the brackets off or pry the birdhouse floor off because it would have been too stressful. “Dramatic and traumatic” are words I like to avoid in beekeeping.
Okay, I’ve got to move the birdhouse out of the bee garden because, well, we’ve got to be able to weed and water without the bees buzzing us. After two days, I pre-dug a post hole, waited til night and ‘posted’ the birdhouse among the ferns about 20 feet away. (Something most beekeepers would tell you NOT to do because the bees might not be able to find their way back to the hive.) I stuffed tissue paper into the entrance hole so the bees would notice something was different. They would have to make orientation flights all over again. I’m thinking that maybe the Warre was too close to the birdhouse…if I move it away, maybe they will want it more. My wife said I was crazy to think that. I says, ‘maybe,’ but we’ve got to get it out of the way.
Next day, the birdhouse/hive is in it’s new location. The bees are aware something is different because of the tissue paper stuffed in the entrance hole.
As my wife bicycled to town, I noticed a bunch of activity between the birdhouse and the Warre hive. I got my camera to document my findings…I was going to have it on camera so I could show her I knew what I was doing. They are fanning from the nasonov gland to indicate the queen is within. Wow, that didn’t take long. My wife is going to have to admit I was right, but I’ll be humble and admit it’s just a stroke of luck. But it was too good to be true. By the time she returned the crowd at the entrance was thinning and the bees rejected this hive once again.
Here is where they will stay. It’s the house they chose and while the location has changed a few times, the house is the same. I just wish I could have fastened it to a taller post.
Mary’s bees have settled in now. They have discovered the Poached egg meadowfoam.
Mary’s bee cleaning off her antennae. How do I know they are Mary’s bees? The abdomen colors are different. I’m happy to get new genetics in my bee yard.
Mayor Mary’s side of the story… (Scroll towards the bottom til you see the birdhouse swarm)
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 
I love this! You can’t fault them on their choice. I hope you don’t mind if I post your link to our collection of beekeepers in the Fens here. Everyone loves a good swarm story and there are so many making the rounds this time of year.
Don’t mind at all. I had a great time putting it together and Mayor Mary has already approved it. 🙂
She said if she got a swarm in the matching birdhouse, she would give me a call. Now I wonder how I can sneak some Lemon Grass Oil in it? 🙂
Never argue with a woman when she has her heart set on a house. Lol!
I think swarms like a 40 liter cavity, right? I wonder though if the warre may have been too large.
Or maybe they just preferred the paint color of the birdhouse. Women can be funny about colors. 😉
Uh, I prefer not to make any comment lest it gets me into deep trouble about paint colors. 🙂
Your photos and videos of the bees are so good. I wonder if they will swarm again if the birdhouse becomes too small to accommodate them? Amelia
I wonder about that too. It’s so small. Maybe they will take up residence in Bee-atrice, my empty log hive.
Looks like they love their new house! Great videos and such gorgeous bees! 😀
Thanks, Sonel. Apparently they love their ‘little cottage by the sea.’ The rejected new Warre is now home to another swarm of bees and is being well appreciated.
I live 25 miles up the coast from you. I find your posts very encouraging. Haven’t seen a honey bee in my yard for a month. I came so close to buying a package this spring. My garden isn’t getting pollinated. 😦
Do you have an empty hive? Swarm season is almost over, but if you need a swarm, I’m sure someone could get one for you. I got another call over the weekend, but I had two other swarms to get first.