Sometimes you just get lucky!

[Colino]

I was out putting some new style swarm traps when I needed to get some more frames. As I walked to the bee yard I caught the tail end of a swarm heading toward it. They moved into one of my old mini topbar swarm traps. I baited it last spring for trapping season with beescent and a small piece of old brood comb but nothing else since. I'm hoping they will stay. I believe they came from the feral hive because that is the direction they came from and I drove up to take a look. There is very little entrance activity whereas last week they were humping along fine. I'm putting my traps out tomorrow before I go vote.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/563 ... EO0039.mp4

[Charlie]

Colino,
Good for you!

[Colino]

Colino,
Good for you!

Thanks Charlie:
We thought we had lost them and they had moved on yesterday because the box they went into was empty last evening. But this morning when I went out to the bee yard I found them clustered on the side of a swarm trap inside my stacks of swarm traps. It is such a small swarm it's almost embarrassing but the queen looks like a young queen. It's probably not the primary swarm, however free bees is free bees and a young queen is worth 30 bucks plus shipping. I had them walk onto an old piece of brood comb and put them in a Nuc after caging Her Highness. I was thinking of clipping her because they are so small I can't give them a frame of brood to hold them from leaving. We have some cool overnight temps coming this week and I'd probably just end up with a frame of chilled brood. When I have time tonight I will post the video of the exciting capture after some editing.

[Colino]

I posted the video of the exciting swarm capture on my YouTube channel. We're wearing our veils because our Italians are nearby and they can get pissy if you get in their way. Don't laugh!
https://youtu.be/4ixxURNcCN8

[Allen Dick]

I love it. Now I can cancel Netflix.

Fatbeeman, look out!

[karen]

Amazing swarm capture. You make a very fancy video too, such talent. Thanks for sharing, I think that is the smallest swarm I ever saw.

[Colino]

Amazing swarm capture. You make a very fancy video too, such talent. Thanks for sharing, I think that is the smallest swarm I ever saw.

Thanks Karen:
I use a Digital Panasonic Lumix still camera with video function and edit with Movie Plus X6 from Serif.http://www.serif.com/movieplus/ I win the prize for smallest swarm! Did you see poor Bear he got one on the ear.

[Charlie]

Colino
I win the prize for smallest swarm!

It's still a plus, at the very least a free Queen and different genetics. It is way better than no swarm, which is what I get every year so far.. What are your plans for said swarm?

[Colino]

Colino
I win the prize for smallest swarm!

It's still a plus, at the very least a free Queen and different genetics. It is way better than no swarm, which is what I get every year so far.. What are your plans for said swarm?

I was thinking of making a queenless split and putting her Highness in there. I'm almost positive that this swarm came from a feral hive about 400 yards north of us because that is the direction they came from. They are the same color and there is nothing north of us for miles. That feral hive has been there over 10 years without treatment and I know they have Varroa.

It is way better than no swarm, which is what I get every year so far.

I've put out 8 traps already and have about 30 more to put out. With the mild winter we had it could be a bang up year for swarms. I've made a dozen different traps this year out of old used deeps I bought for $1 each. They definitely have that hive smell. I had to trim the bottoms off because they were rotted and joined 2 of them together with strips of plywood to end up with about 40 liters of volume. Then I put 5 deep frames in the center with 2 medium frames on each side in the hopes they'll build in the conventional hive shape. I stapled plywood to the bottom and screwed a plywood lid on top. I'm hoping they will work because my mini top bar traps are a pain to move the bees from into langs.

[Vance G]

I got a swarm call yesterday but wasn;t home. My wife relayed the message and I answered within fifteen minutes but apparently the lady called the next person down the line and wouldn't return my call.

A local lady beekeeper friend called my after I bragged about getting my second big swarm and asked If I would give her my next swarm because here ordered bees were delayed a couple weeks and it really isn't fair that the same people get all the swarms! Now when the swarms start pouring into those thirty swarm traps my socialist friend, are you going to share with your neighbors who haven't caught any? Since I am not a socialist, I was still wondering what my action would have been if I got that swarm:<}

[Colino]

I got a swarm call yesterday but wasn;t home. My wife relayed the message and I answered within fifteen minutes but apparently the lady called the next person down the line and wouldn't return my call.

A local lady beekeeper friend called my after I bragged about getting my second big swarm and asked If I would give her my next swarm because here ordered bees were delayed a couple weeks and it really isn't fair that the same people get all the swarms! Now when the swarms start pouring into those thirty swarm traps my socialist friend, are you going to share with your neighbors who haven't caught any? Since I am not a socialist, I was still wondering what my action would have been if I got that swarm:<}

Of course I'll share, they can have any drones I Catch. But seriously, out here on the lone prairie it takes over 30 swarm traps to catch 1 or 2 swarms unless they are miniscule and fly through your yard. As for sharing a swarm, from knowing you on the forums Vance I get the impression that you are a person with a big heart and would share your good fortune with her. I've always found sharing makes both parties feel good.

[Charlie]

Colino
I was thinking of making a queenless split and putting her Highness in there

While I have just about the least experience of any beekeeper here, I would say from the size of the swarm and Alberta weather that we can still expect to see they would benefit from a few frames of brood and 8000 or 9000 extra bees to keep Her Highness warm on cold Alberta nights.

I am curious as to how you know that this feral hive has Varroa.

By your math I will catch one swarm every 10 years with my poultry three traps. I think I liked it better before I knew the math.

Cheers, and thank you for sharing the video.

[Colino]

Colino
I was thinking of making a queenless split and putting her Highness in there

While I have just about the least experience of any beekeeper here, I would say from the size of the swarm and Alberta weather that we can still expect to see they would benefit from a few frames of brood and 8000 or 9000 extra bees to keep Her Highness warm on cold Alberta nights.

I am curious as to how you know that this feral hive has Varroa.

By your math I will catch one swarm every 10 years with my poultry three traps. I think I liked it better before I knew the math.

Cheers, and thank you for sharing the video.

I know they have Varroa because I have seen workers at the hive entrance with Varroa on them. More than once I might add. Some how this feral hive has evolved to live with Varroa, maybe it's their willingness to swarm early and often. Time will tell if I can keep this baby swarm alive and over winter it.

[Charlie]

Colino

Did your baby swarm survive through that last cold snap we had?

[Colino]

Colino

Did your baby swarm survive through that last cold snap we had?

Hello Charlie:
Here is how it played out. I kept checking to see if she would start laying and found nothing several times over a couple of weeks. Yesterday I turned her into queen juice for my swarm trapping. I went and checked the feral hive and it is dead so I'm assuming it was not a swarm but an abscond because of a failing queen or some other reason. I did notice one time before we caught the swarm that there were a lot of ants at the feral hive like Allen showed in the diary. Maybe they were the reason. We'll never know, but I have some queen juice now. I checked my traps the other day and I'm getting some scout action on one, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.