Same swarm - second verse

• The continuing saga of the second swarm, in which the bees are deprived of clustering opportunities above and have nowhere to go but into the hive.

The swarm that we posted about yesterday offered us some additional excitement today.

I went over to the farm early this morning to make sure everything was okay, and I noticed that a fistful of bees was still hovering in the limbs just above the hive. Inside the hive was a massive number of bees, so I decided not to worry about those in the tree too much, figuring they would eventually make their way into the hive.

Instead, the opposite happened.

As the day continued into the afternoon, the number of bees in the tree increase. They were still nowhere near the number of the original swarm, but it was worrisome. I opened the hive and shook the limb, which dropped a few bees into the hive and quite a few onto the ground -- many of which crawled into the hive. Still, almost immediately, a significant number gathered back in the tree.

When I got back to the house later in the afternoon, I talked with my friend and master beekeeper Coley O'Dell. He knew exactly what was happening. The bees were clustering around the scent left by the queen on the limb. I could take care of that by shaking the bees off the limb and cutting the limb and dragging it away.

Sounded right to me, but easier said than done. The limb they were clustering around was about 15 feet off the ground, and I didn't have a good ladder to get me there. I bought an extended limb cutter from the coop, suited up in my bee gear and went to work. Every time I would cut a limb where the bees were clustering, they would cluster around another limb. Apparently, the queen had left her sent on a variety of limbs.

It took a while, but I managed to cut all of the limbs where the bees were clustering. Since they had no place to go, they eventually landed on the ground next to the hive and started clustering around the Boardman feeder that I had place on the front of the hive. Then, as if they were a military unit, they started marching into the hive.

That was a beautiful sight. And, I hope, to the end of the Saga of the Second Swarm.

Additional note:

During our conversation this afternoon, Coley reminded me of something very valuable. In gathering swarms, you always worry about where the queen is, and generally you don't know if she's inside the hive or out. Coley said that when you have a swan, the hive will empty out within 20 minutes if the queen isn't there. Good to keep that in mind.

BeeCare: a site for the novice beekeeper

BeeCare.com is one of the richest site for information on beekeeping that you will find anywhere on the web. The site is set up to sell products associated with beekeeping, but it contains a vast amount of information about those products and how they are used. And it has pictures, which is extremely helpful to new beekeepers who are struggled with all the new terms they have to learn.

The site is produced by Mark Jones of Leander, TX, near Austin. In explaining why he started the site, Mark says, “As an individual beekeeper, I had been frustrated by the lack of emphasis on the specialized needs of the hobbyist and the lack of support I continued to encounter with other vendors. So at BeeCARE, we try to follow the directive ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.’ I strive to have this principle guide our customer support, product development and selection, and our daily business decisions.”

The site’s design could be improved. It’s not particularly easy to navigate, and there is always the feeling that you might be missing something the site has to offer. Still, the site is well worth the time, once you develop a feel for it. Just about every aspect of beekeeping is covered with well written and good-humored prose. And, as I said, there are pictures that are extremely informative and helpful. This is a site I would definitely recommend to all beekeepers, rookies and veterans.

The Farm in May

I took a little time out yesterday after getting into the beehives once again to take a few pictures for the monthly compilation.

Spring has matured. The crops in the garden are growing, the blooms are off the blackberries and the berries themselves are turning red, and even the honeysuckle is fading. I found one stand of large daisies in the pasture and a few smaller stands here and there.

We've come a long way from March. Check out the video in this entry.

The large field next to ours has been mowed, but Jack Clemmer probably won't get around to mowing ours until next month.

All in all, yesterday was glorious -- sunny, not too hot, a bit of a breeze. Working in the garden yesterday was most comfortable. But, we need rain.

Blackberry blossoms and wildflowers

The farm is entering what I would call its "yellow spring." The pasture is full of yellow buttercups, complemented here and there with groups of white daisies with yellow centers. (The blue bachelor's buttons also add a nice touch.) All the greenery is still new enough to have a yellowish flavor.

The wild blackberry vines are also in bloom. Some of them, as you can see from the photos above, are fairly close to the beehives, and the bees have certainly taken notice. I have been picking the wild blackberries for the last two summers, and each year the crop seems to be more abundant. I have tried to leave area where I know there are vines alone -- not clearing them out or cutting them back. You'll be hearing more about the blackberries as we get into the summer. Right now the bees seem to be having a feast (right).

Sally, Jane and I put out three rows of corn (two yellow and one white) and four rows of beans (two Blue Ribbon and two October) in the garden on Saturday morning. We still plan some pumpkins, tomatoes and one or two other things. We'll see what pops up.

The hives had a busy weekend. Lots of bees were going in and out constantly. They have also taken a couple of jars of feed. I opened both hives last night and found that on the left one (the newer one) the bees still have a tendency to gather under the top cover. They are drawing a good bit of comb up there rather than on the foundations. I'm not sure what to do about that, so I'll have to consult Jim Brown. The other hive is still working away, although there has been more activity in the top box than the lower one. I switched the positions of the boxes, making the top one the lower one, to see if that makes any difference at this point.