May 26, 2011

• Bees

  Last summer we had three hives of bees.  One "wild" hive moved into an abandoned hive, and we purchased package bees for the other two.  After a long hard winter,  we lost two of our hives to mice.  The mice move in, eat the bees and honey, and have a nice warm dry home.  Our remaining hive is doing great, but the other day as it often happens in May.....swarm!

  The swarm hung out overnight on a white pine branch very high up.  There was no way we could even think about capturing the queen and the swarm. 

  

  We watched yesterday as they swarmed and took off.  We tried to follow them to see where their new home was going to be.... but we lost sight of them.   Then later in the afternoon,  we noticed another swarm but this time they seemed to be swarming to our existing hive.  We think they came back or maybe  a "virgin queen" was born and there was another swarm.  Sometimes,  a hive will keep swarming until all the worker bees are depleted, but that is rare.   We are hopeful they came back.

  A few hours ago,  another swarm....this time they are low enough to get to but they are not dumb,  they are in a Holly bush.  Not an easy place for us to get into.

   

  

  We have set up a new hive nearby with hopes this swarm moves in!

  There are still bees coming and going from the existing hive.

  

  Along the ground we are finding a few drones.

  

  We are reading and learning what we can about the colonization of bees. 

  • 11:43 am
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