[Swing Swang]

After a month of 'baiting' a hive with a bit of old brood comb and lemon grass oil I've gone and caught myself a swarm. Just turned up to work this morning and there they were 

Not the biggest of swarms - about 1l of bees I reckon, but hopefully they'll be strong enough to over-winter!

Regards,

Swing Swang

[Chrysalis]

Sounds fun!  Keep us posted as to your exploits! :happy:

[Kate and her Ducks]

Congratulations!

[SnooziSuzi]

yay!  well done you

[sunshineband]

Well done you 

Do you know where they came from?

[Oliveview]

After a month of 'baiting' a hive with a bit of old brood comb and lemon grass oil I've gone and caught myself a swarm. Just turned up to work this morning and there they were 

Not the biggest of swarms - about 1l of bees I reckon, but hopefully they'll be strong enough to over-winter!

Regards,

Swing Swang

what is:  about 1l of bees.   What happens to the hive they have left too? 
Pamela

[Swing Swang]

1l is my estimation of the quantity of bees - which isn't a huge swarm - the hive that they left will be down by the same amount which could be bad news for the hive that they left (and the beekeeper too if they were 'owned'). Hopefully they hive that they left will have been full to capacity and they can spare the loss, but this year because of the rain bees have been swarming all over the place in frustration at not being able to go aut and forage so there will be a lot of weak colonies around - or something like that according to those that know in my area.

[SnooziSuzi]

what is:  about 1l of bees.   ...

well a healthy hive at full capacity has about 50-60 thousand bees, so 1 litre of bees would probably be about a sixth of this therefore about 8-10 thousand bees

What happens to the hive they have left too? 
Pamela

Normally the absconding bees make sure there's at least some developing queen cells in the old hive and not all of the bees would usually swarm so there would be some left to carry on in the old residence, albeit a much reduced colony which may or may not recover, depending on how many times the colony has split and swarmed off (each swarm is called a cast). 

In my hive last year I had about 6 casts leave the hive and the numbers left come August were too few to keep the colony warm, coupled with the fact that a lot of the honey had crystallised in the cells and was effectively like hard candy so the bees couldn't eat it, meant that they died of starvation

[drypulse]

hey swing swang! glad to hear your news. Wouldn't be surprised if you gathered a swarm from one of the ones I look after, we had one swarm about then! (if you are where I think you are!)

been a funny year bee wise, got my first swarm too this year, fingers crossed they last through winter!