5.06.2014

swarm!




while weeding the raspberry patch this weekend, Mike noticed something in the euonymous bushes nearby.  something moving, and humming, and buzzing.  it was our first swarm!  we assume it came from one of our two hives, located only about fifty feet away.  he moved quickly and clipped the branches holding the clustered bees into the body of a top bar hive that was given to us by a friend last fall.  we'd been hoping to put it to use in exactly this way.  a peek in on both of our hives showed seemingly happy and very busy bees, and our best guess is that the queen and several thousand bees from the bigger hive were the ones that swarmed.  they had plenty of room in there, so who knows why.  thankfully, if that was the case, she (the queen) had packed plenty of comb with eggs before her exit, and we're confident they'll have no trouble rearing a new queen.  today is their third day in their new home, and they seem to be settling in well.  so now we're at three, and I think that's a reasonable max in this little space of ours.  we'll see what the season brings~

12 comments:

  1. That is so cool! Your pictures are amazing!

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    1. thanks, Megan! I am in awe of bees, they are such incredible creatures~

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  2. I would love to have my own hive and I thing I just about have my Mike committed. I am allergic so he was been worried, but I think things will work out.
    Loves seeing all your bees.
    Oh, and congratulations on your Mama!

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    1. how allergic? like anaphylactic shock allergic? I'd play it safe and have an epi-pen around, if so. we seem to each come away with a couple stings a year, though I'm sure we could avoid it if we were more careful. (I'm bad about getting in/near the hives without gloves, proper shoes, etc)

      thank you! SO good having her 20 minutes away!

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  3. Just beautiful! May they thrive!

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    1. oh I do hope so!
      and yes, they are incredibly beautiful~

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  4. Replies
    1. all I really did was take the pictures, he did the 'hard' part. though to be honest, it wasn't very scary or anything like that at all. when they are swarming like this they are surprisingly docile since they've nothing to defend- no hive/honey/brood. they just clump together and wait while scout bees go out and look for a suitable new home. in this case, we acted as scout bees ;) hopefully they'll agree with our choice for a new home!

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  5. you are a skilled bee keeper indeed! Love your posts and a peek into your days.

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    1. ah, we'll see. three years in and still LOADS to learn!
      thanks, Karen~

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  6. WOW. THIS IS AMAZING! Bees are so amazing. One day, I'll be emailing you with a lot of questions. I can't take on one more project yet...maybe next year.
    XO

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    1. when that day comes, I'll do my best to give you seasoned and well-informed answers! ;)

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~