You are such an amazing man. I’ve been watching your videos for about a week and I must say that you are an amazing role model. I will hopefully be getting into beekeeping within a couple years. Thank you for your videos. Love to you and your family ❤🤗🤗
I'm no expert but I have caught a few swarms. I would have cut that branch and lowered those bees into that box. Anytime you have to shake you risk the bees taking off and if the queen goes higher into the tree they might end up out of reach (ask me how I know). You can also get mesh laundry bags and surround the swarm before you cut the branch. This will prevent any bees from flying and you can transport them that way as well. Just my $0.02
I use swarm as my comb drawing factories! All bees are the right age to produce wax and swarms can really draw it out fast. SO I give them foundation and once they have it 3/4 drawn out, I pull it out and give them new foundation to draw. As you well know, drawn comb is worth it's weight in gold to a beekeeper !
Hi David, Your last few videos have been right on point and very helpful for my situation. I successfully over wintered a hive with almost no dead loss After seeing many other people with dead outs I felt pretty good. They were building up slowly then suddenly exploded in population so I put on a super early to give them more room and draw out foundations. I had inspected them and didn't see any queen cells and was planning on some splits. 2 weeks later they decided to do the split for me split for me and swarmed with a swarm as big as you just captured. Yep, half the hive 25,000. I did capture that swarm and re- hived them. Gave them some resources and brood from Mother hive to just for extra measure. Put on a second brood box and super as they did fill an entire 10 frame box. Meanwhile inspecting the Mother hive I found 4 very large, almost ready queen cells and a very small queen. Inspected 1 week later found a couple more queen cells and 2 cells had emerged. I made a nuc with 1 queen cell that was going to open any second. Then seen a huge fat momma queen but didn't look like the small one as it was a darker coloring than the week before and I could hear piping. I assume that this huge queen perhaps is mated or just really great genetic traits. I have yet to see eggs or Larvae and may have more than 1 queen in the hive. So not sure to go through and look for multiple queens and separate them or let them figure it out on their own
I was sitting on my back porch 3 weeks ago, and heard a strange sound. I looked out to see a cloud of bees. Bees from my biggest hive were swarming! They landed about 40' from the hive, head high in a fig tree. We backed a truck underneath and shook them into a nuc box. After checking the hive, we found several queen cells, so we split those into an empty deep box. When we finished the split and went back to the nuc box, it was empty! As far as we could tell, the swarm went straight back to the original hive!!! It's as busy as ever, and I got another colony started. It was a great day...
That couldn't be any easier. Will they swarm with a virgin and if they do, how does that work?I pulled my queen in a split with 6 frames and shook another 3 frames of bees into split, then 6 days later they swarmed.
That nuc box needs another 5 stacked above it! Great resource hive; whack the thin (1:2) syrup to them and they will draw wax like a machine. Drawn comb is the real gold!
You are such an amazing man. I’ve been watching your videos for about a week and I must say that you are an amazing role model. I will hopefully be getting into beekeeping within a couple years. Thank you for your videos. Love to you and your family ❤🤗🤗
I'm no expert but I have caught a few swarms. I would have cut that branch and lowered those bees into that box. Anytime you have to shake you risk the bees taking off and if the queen goes higher into the tree they might end up out of reach (ask me how I know). You can also get mesh laundry bags and surround the swarm before you cut the branch. This will prevent any bees from flying and you can transport them that way as well. Just my $0.02
All good points. Thanks
Perfect place to make video,
Well done David.
00:01:09 Yes, I'll take a swarm, a box, and a feeder. O, and super size it! 😂
Indeed. 🤣
I use swarm as my comb drawing factories! All bees are the right age to produce wax and swarms can really draw it out fast. SO I give them foundation and once they have it 3/4 drawn out, I pull it out and give them new foundation to draw. As you well know, drawn comb is worth it's weight in gold to a beekeeper !
Agreed! Give them lots of thin (1:2) syrup and they'll draw wax like crazy.
Not only did you get a free swarm of bees, but it was clear and beautiful. Reminded me of North-central Oklahoma minus the stupid wind farms.
Indeed.
Great fun video David you make it look so easy!!! I can't wait to catch my first swarm. Way to cowboy up buckaroo!!!
I wouldn’t have believed that swarm unless I’d seen it myself!! That’s the kind of swarm I want.
For sure!
So cool!! Nice catch! Thanks for sharing! ❤
Thanks!
I caught 2 swarms this year 2nd year self taught its was a lot of fun.
🐝Thanks for sharing 👍Nice and easy catch.🐝🐝 Watched one of mine swarm out of one hive into another that I didn't want them going into yesterday.
Yes, bees will do crazy things.
SUPER DUPER VIDEO DAVID, glad you were able to truck those bees. Looks like you have nice weather there. HAVE A GREAT DAY 👍
Thanks Jay
@@beek Glad you are doing all this for everyone that's learning about honey bees or getting ready to start a life with bees.
Great looking swarm.
They are doing great
I like the idea of removing the bed cover. Also, could you have snipped the branch and lay the whiole lot into the nuc?
Yes, but I try not to cut other people's trees if I can avoid it.
Great job! Couldn't have been anymore easier to reach!
Thanks for watching.
Hi David,
Your last few videos have been right on point and very helpful for my situation. I successfully over wintered a hive with almost no dead loss After seeing many other people with dead outs I felt pretty good. They were building up slowly then suddenly exploded in population so I put on a super early to give them more room and draw out foundations. I had inspected them and didn't see any queen cells and was planning on some splits. 2 weeks later they decided to do the split for me split for me and swarmed with a swarm as big as you just captured. Yep, half the hive 25,000. I did capture that swarm and re- hived them. Gave them some resources and brood from Mother hive to just for extra measure. Put on a second brood box and super as they did fill an entire 10 frame box.
Meanwhile inspecting the Mother hive I found 4 very large, almost ready queen cells and a very small queen. Inspected 1 week later found a couple more queen cells and 2 cells had emerged. I made a nuc with 1 queen cell that was going to open any second. Then seen a huge fat momma queen but didn't look like the small one as it was a darker coloring than the week before and I could hear piping. I assume that this huge queen perhaps is mated or just really great genetic traits. I have yet to see eggs or Larvae and may have more than 1 queen in the hive. So not sure to go through and look for multiple queens and separate them or let them figure it out on their own
Thanks
"What if we drive home like this?" 😆
Hi David and Sheri! Where could I purchase one of those bee jacket/vale that you wore in the video?
I bought mine from Glory Bee
@@beek T Y very much!
I get the calls with the swarm wrapped into the trunk of tree
I was thinking of getting a 7 frame apimaye hive for swarms.
I was sitting on my back porch 3 weeks ago, and heard a strange sound. I looked out to see a cloud of bees. Bees from my biggest hive were swarming! They landed about 40' from the hive, head high in a fig tree. We backed a truck underneath and shook them into a nuc box. After checking the hive, we found several queen cells, so we split those into an empty deep box. When we finished the split and went back to the nuc box, it was empty! As far as we could tell, the swarm went straight back to the original hive!!! It's as busy as ever, and I got another colony started. It was a great day...
My favorite time of beekeeping is to be in the swarm and listen and see them decide what to do
For sure.
Howdy!
Hi and thanks for watching.
That couldn't be any easier. Will they swarm with a virgin and if they do, how does that work?I pulled my queen in a split with 6 frames and shook another 3 frames of bees into split, then 6 days later they swarmed.
They can but 9 times out of 10 it's the older queen in the swarm especially a large swarm.
Drive by swarm :)
Indeed, like going through a drive through. Yes, I'll have one swarm please.
@@beek Halarious:)
I would just clip the branch. I also just use a cardboard box
Sometimes I do but I try my best not to trim other people's trees.
Question David. I wear my gloves. Been a keeper for 7 years. Don’t the stings bother you or are you do used to them?
Bothers me 🤣
Why not add missing frames?
I did, off camera.
Too many bees for a nuc box.
That nuc box needs another 5 stacked above it!
Great resource hive; whack the thin (1:2) syrup to them and they will draw wax like a machine. Drawn comb is the real gold!