What changes can we make to our lives to deal with the economic and energy crises ahead? Have you already started making preparations? Got tips to share?
stevecook172001 wrote:On the other hand, the one's left at the other garden I got them from are continuing to make a right racket. They are starting to cluster on a section of the hedge, but are still in sort of separate clumps around and about that corner of the garden. I'm guessing they are nosier cos they haven't got a queen now and are confused/pissed off.
Yeah, this is the problem and why swarms shouldn't be taken until dusk.
I'm not sure what will happen to the stragglers. It's possible some will find their way back to the original hive but more likely they will hang around making a nuisance of themselves for a few days until they die. They've only got the food they brought with them in their honey stomachs.
It'll be very hard to catch them now without the queen.
stevecook172001 wrote:On the other hand, the one's left at the other garden I got them from are continuing to make a right racket. They are starting to cluster on a section of the hedge, but are still in sort of separate clumps around and about that corner of the garden. I'm guessing they are nosier cos they haven't got a queen now and are confused/pissed off.
Yeah, this is the problem and why swarms shouldn't be taken until dusk.
I'm not sure what will happen to the stragglers. It's possible some will find their way back to the original hive but more likely they will hang around making a nuisance of themselves for a few days until they die. They've only got the food they brought with them in their honey stomachs.
It'll be very hard to catch them now without the queen.
Been back 3 times today and managed to scoop up the majority of the stragglers. They helpfully re-formed a (progressively smaller) semi-swarm each time I went and so I was able to shake them into an old cleaned out 5 litre plastic emulsion paint can with a snap on lid, bring em back home and tip them into the main bait hive in my back garden.
I reckon there's about 10% of them left. I'm going to go back and try to scoop them up right now before it gets dark. I reckon I'll get some,
When I go back in the morning, I will see if the tiny minority that are left are still around and, if so, catch them or kill them.
Then back to my back garden to get the warre hive construction finished and then pop them out of the plant-pot temporary top bar hive into the warre hive tomorrow evening.
Went and collected the last of the swarm tonight just before dark. I had left a plant pot with big piece of wood over the top with a little slit at one side. I rubbed some old beeswax on the inside of the pot in the vague hope that the remaining stragglers might decide to take up residence this evening. Well, bugger me if that isn't exactly what they did! Every last one of them! I wrapped it up in a sheet, brought it back to the main hive and dropped them in. So, in all, very nearly 100% of the swarm captured. Albeit in an extremely half-arsed fashion over the course of about 12 hours.
There was a prog on ITV last night about the shortage of bees and how we are going to have some neonicotineoid free time despite our UK government. The minister said we should have more field trials to prove the neonic' connection. This was despite the fact that the trials so far have been flawed simply because there are no nests or hives that have not been contaminated, therefore there is no uncontaminated control available. And he (the minister) wants to save the bees.
If neonic's are the culprit, then it's not only bees that have suffered IMO, you can count the butterflies as there are so few, there are far fewer flies and the list goes on. Compare with 20 years ago when my nettles were covered with caterpillars.
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with. Cass Sunstein
I have been beekeeping and collecting swarms etc since the mid 80's, I'm not claiming to be an expert but I can tell you it seems from what you have said all will be well with your first swarm collection. The remaining bees would eventually move back to their old hive position. At the moment they are staying put because they have reoriented to the last spot the queen was. To remove these bees wait until dusk and they will have clustered by then(assuming they haven't gone home yet). Shake them off the branch into a box as best you can, if not possible brush them into a box. Wrap a sheet around it and take it back to your new hive and shake them in front of the hive set up with a board leading up to the entrance. You will probably not get all the remaining bees but you can explain to the owner of the property they will leave eventually. Good luck.
Norm wrote:I have been beekeeping and collecting swarms etc since the mid 80's, I'm not claiming to be an expert but I can tell you it seems from what you have said all will be well with your first swarm collection. The remaining bees would eventually move back to their old hive position. At the moment they are staying put because they have reoriented to the last spot the queen was. To remove these bees wait until dusk and they will have clustered by then(assuming they haven't gone home yet). Shake them off the branch into a box as best you can, if not possible brush them into a box. Wrap a sheet around it and take it back to your new hive and shake them in front of the hive set up with a board leading up to the entrance. You will probably not get all the remaining bees but you can explain to the owner of the property they will leave eventually. Good luck.
For anyone who doesn't want to keep honeybees but would like to help bees in general with a bonus of pollinators in their garden, why not give this little project a go:-
