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A swarm of honeybees has evidently chosen my home for their next hive! We are so excited. We've got the hive body box out now and I'm trying my best to lure them to it. We've got bees on the box now, but I'm not sure the scouts are going for it yet. They really would like very much to settle on the front porch, but that's not the best spot.....

I'm currently trying to lure the bulk of them into a box with a simple syrup jar. The plan is to slam, gently, the box lid and carry them bodily down to the hive, hopefully without getting stung. So far they have been really easy going, climbing all over us, getting in our hair, up our sleeves, etc. I had a few get behind my glasses which was very ticklish, and a little disconcerting. But overall, a really neat experience.

 

My dad is an bee-keeper, so I've got some help on this. Both of us estimate a 1 in 5 chance of catching this group and helping them survive the winter. I'm going to have to feed them all winter long, and they eat about 3 qts of simple syrup a day right now!!

 

Anyway, neat. Thought I'd share.:001_smile: And it's sort of turned into a nature study/ unit study thing too.

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When capturing a swarm I always spray lemongrass in the hive. The bees really like the smell. It seems to make them more likely to accept their new home.

Do you have another hive? IF so once your swarm accepts their new home. To make it more likely that they will last through the winter you can take a established hive and take off the hive cover and inner cover. Then put a screen over the hive box. A window screen works good. Then take your new hive and place it on top of the screen. Afterwards place the inner cover and top cover on the new hive. This will help keep a new swarm warm enough during the winter. I am not sure where you live but where I live a new swarm would never last the winter here if left by itself.

This spring you can separate them. Also feeding them through the winter would be good. I prefer to feed them diluted honey as it seems to keep them healthier.

 

Good luck on your new swarm. I love beekeeping!!

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How did you go?

 

We got a swarm of bees yesterday :-) It is late spring here, so perfect time to get a swarm. The swarm was kind enough to land in a smallish tree ( 2.5 m tall) at the school that I am doing my teacher rounds in. I called DH, who came with all the bee equipment. All he had to do was chop off the small branch they were hanging on and place it into the top of the bee hive.

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