This is what we were waiting for…Bee Beard’s Prime Swarm, but it was waaay out of reach
When we started keeping bees we read that a healthy hive will swarm, at least once every year. Our goal was to get through the winter without feeding, medicating, or miticiding. The swarm would be our sign of success. On a warm day March 30th, that’s what happened. We heard the loud buzzing, came out to witness the bees heading up to the top of a nearby spruce tree. I even tried ‘tanging,’ banging a spoon on a pan to create noise so they wouldn’t go far and would form near the ground. I was wildly unsuccessful. This would have been the swarm to get, but it was clearly out of reach.
Swarm #2, April 17 is within reach
Swarm number 2 is withing reach, but the 2nd log hive isn’t ready for it yet…I’ll have to stick it into the ‘back-up Warre.”
Let’s try out this bamboo swarm catcher so I won’t have to use a ladder
Well I ended up using a ladder to cut the bamboo and let the swarm drop into the white sail cloth basket.
My wife noticed some bees on the ladder…we brought it near the hive for them to crawl in, but looking closer, we noticed they were fanning. The queen must be here. We gathered them up and placed them into the hive.
After the bees were dropped in, we added the top bars with comb attached…hoping they would stay attached once I hung them in the hive.
Top bars with old comb melted on. Quilt box in background
I had already built the sugar frame shown below.
1/2 inch hardware cloth will hold up sugar if using newsprint.
Premixed sugar laying on a couple sheets of blank newsprint for the Warre hive #2
We slid the sugar frame into place.
Sliding the sugar frame into place
Next comes the quilt box.
Top it off with the roof. Matt Reed of beethinking.com, you made a nice hive kit.
Bees flying orientation flights.
April 23…through the observation window we can watch the bees working. No new natural comb can be seen yet, but it won’t be long.
April 26, Natural comb can be seen on Day 9.
Where this and other swarms are coming from…Bee Beard Log Hive.
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 