!!! SWARM CAPTURED !!!

The cloud swarm

Yesterday, while talking to Maidi and Karly in Karly's room, I glanced out the window and saw a cloud of bees in the back yard.  (Orange links are videos.)  We ran outside to see.  A swarm in my own yard!  I watched to see what way it was heading, and it looked like it was going toward Paul's yard.  He was outside and I went over there and we watched it, but it stopped migrating.  Then Karly called out that they were closing in on the lemon tree.  Paul and I came back, and sure enough, a cluster was forming in the lemon tree.

Cluster in tree

Close-up of cluster

Had one of my hives swarmed or was this from a wild hive?  I had seen swarm cells in the new hive, but the ones I saw were uncapped.  I went down and took a quick look inside the new hive, but I really couldn't tell if there were fewer bees.  There were fewer crawling on top of the frames than I recalled, but it was mid-afternoon.  I emailed Jeremy about this last night and he wrote back this morning and said that since I saw uncapped swarm cells, it was most likely that the new colony had swarmed.  I'll check in a couple of weeks to see if there is a laying queen.
Before collecting the bees, I took the top off of Olea's hive and removed the top bars.  I left the false back board in.  I filled the entrance feeder and placed it in the box on the other side of the false back so that it couldn't be seen by robber bees.  I figured the new colony would need to be fed like the original package that I bought last year had needed. The girls will need to make a lot of comb.

Back to the cluster.  There they were in the tree.  I brought out my cardboard boxes.  Initially I selected a large one.  I cut off a couple of small branches to better expose the swarm.  I tried to fit the large box beneath the bees, but it didn't fit.  I got a flatter box and it fit beneath the bees.  I had to squeeze around the branches to see just which branch they were hanging on.  After I identified it, I shook some bees into the box and then cut the branch.  The branch and bees plopped into the box.  They climbed all over the bottom and sides and onto the flaps.

Shaking the bees out of the box

I carried the box down to the hive, took out the branch and shook the bees off it.  They fell into the hive.  There were still a lot of bees in the box, so I just poured them into the hive and shook out most of what was left.

Replacing the top bars

Next, I had to put the hive back together.  I placed the top bars back one-by-one, using the bee brush and going slowly to avoid squishing anyone.  They continued to climb up the sides onto the rim.

Bees in and on Olea's hive

Examining the feeder

Finally all the bars were back in place.  I left the feeder uncovered so I could refill it.
Then the top board and lid, and voila!, a new hive.  There was a coating of bees around the entrance which gradually moved inside.

Fanning at entrance

We saw bees scenting the air with their Nasonov glands, too.  You can see some bees with their butts up in the air releasing the pheromone.  What you can't see is their wings moving.

When we looked in the observation window yesterday, all we could see was a sheet of bees.  I expected to see them more organized today, perhaps starting to draw comb.  We did look this morning and the bees were in a cluster near the entrance, starting to move about.
All in all, a  very exciting afternoon.

Both queens spotted

I inspected both hives today.  Sorry, I didn't take any pictures.
First I looked in the new hive.  I wanted to see what the girls were doing in their new home.  They had drawn comb on a couple of frames, but neither frame was filled.  There was brood and larva on the original nuc frames.  The surface of comb on the nuc frames undulates; it is not level across like in the old hive.  I scraped off the brace comb on the top of the frames (of both hives) and made it into a ball, about baseball size.
Then I spotted my new queen.  At first I thought she was a drone, but then I saw that her thorax wasn't that broad and her eyes were not big.  And workers were paying her obeisance.  She is notably larger than my other queen and lighter in color.
I saw five swarm cells, all empty. I believe they are swarm cells, and not supercedure cells because they were at the bottom of the frame.  I don't think a swarm is imminent.  I have read that Russians are wont to build swarm cells without intent to swarm.
Because the new bees had not drawn much comb, I decided to feed them.  When, later, I went out to put the feeder in, there were clumps of bees in the space above the Vivaldi top opening.  I'll take a look later tonight, and if need be, tomorrow I'll give them a whiff of smoke to drive them back into the hive so I can place the feeder.
It takes a bit of work to get to the brood boxes in the old hive.  I took a quick look in the medium supers- nothing but honey.  In the upper brood box, there was some brood on the lower portion of two frames.  In the lower brood box, there was brood and larvae.  I took out the drone frame, inspected it for the queen, shook off many of the bees and then set it on top of the empty brood box with frames that I had brought down in case the new hive needed more room.  I then looked at the other frames, didn't see the queen and put the frames back in.  Then I looked at the drone frame again, and there she was!  I gently shook her into the brood box and she crawled down between two frames. 
Put the rest of the hive together, trying unsuccessfully to get the edges perfectly aligned, and put the drone frame into the freezer.  I probably won't inspect again for three weeks.

Tassajara bee report

Maidi and I had a relaxing stay at Tassajara Hot Springs Zen Center last week.  While there we had some bee encounters.


On a walk, we came across a bee tree.  It was delightful to see a wild hive.

The bee tree

Entrance of the nest

Close-up of the entrance

One afternoon, Maidi, who had been on her way to the baths, told me to come quick to see what had been found.  A colony of bees had made a hive in the wall of the old bathhouse.  Two men were going to take it out.
When I got there, they had already cut away the wall exposing the hive.  There was lots of comb and lots of bees.  They took it out as follows:  They had brood boxes and frames without foundation.  The put two rubber-bands around each frame.  Then, one-by-one, they  cut out rectangular sections of comb, placed them into the frame using the rubber-bands to hold them vertically in place.  Then each frame was placed into the box.  They collected two boxes of frames and some in a nuc, as well!  They left the boxes alone until the next day when all the bees had gone into the new home and they were certain they had the queen.  Then they drove the boxes to the apiary.  I learned that they have only been keeping bees since last year.  They are guided by Alan Hawkins who lives in Chico and teaches beekeeping at Green Gulch Farms, one of San Francisco Zen Center's three sites.
Also, in the corner of the ceiling in the old bath house was a second hive, this one in the open. I recall reading that a swarm will build an external hive if they cannot find a suitable dwelling.  Tropical bees routinely build external hives.  There were about six combs covered with bees and three or four more continuing outside the building under the eaves.
Unfortunately I had neglected to bring the camera.  Here is a picture of a large external hive  in Florida.

What are they doing here?

The other day, I walked down the side of the house by Tony and Kelly's (the east side- the wedding entrance side) where those big plants are.  I heard a lot of buzzing and saw lots of bees.  I looked at the plants, but there were no flowers.  Then I saw the bees were landing on the underside of the leaves near the petiole.  Of note, they were only landing on leaves in the shaded area. 

Resin on a bees leg

What were they foraging for, I wondered.  I thought at first they might be collecting resin or or some of the cuticle for propolis.  Bees carry their collected resin back to the hive in their corbicula like pollen, so I looked at several bees but all their legs were bare.  One theory disproved.

 I watched carefully to see what they were doing on the leaves.  They actually were using their tongues on the leaf, and they were only going to the base of the leaf.  So, naturally, I licked some leaves- sweet!
These plants must excrete a nectar. A little online search and yes, theory confirmed.  I found a lot about extrafloral nectar secretion and observations regarding insect behavior relating to it.
 I don't know what kind of plant we have, but I'll take a branch to a nursery for identification.  Isn't nature amazing?

New nuc, continued

Naturally, I figured there was more to do that Tuesday night.  I had put the big box on top of the nuc, on top of the new hive.  I thought that the bees might drop off onto the ground when trying to crawl out of the box.  So I cut a piece of cardboard and stuck one edge of it under the nuc, thereby creating a porch about six inches deep.  It is shown in a picture below.

Clump of bees under hive

Improvised cardboard porch

I was out early Wednesday to check things out.  The big box was empty.  However, there was a somewhat large cluster of bees on the ground under the hive.  It was still cold, so no one was flying about.  I got a dust pan and the bee brush and swept them up, dumping them, dirt and ground cover onto the cardboard porch. 

There were cold, immobile bees all around the deck (and probably on the lawn and paths, too).  I collected a few and carried them to the nuc.  It was getting warm and some flew off, to where I don't know.  Then I left everyone alone. 
Over the next two days I watched them go about their business, flying in and out of the nuc, bringing back pollen and nectar.  Nico from next door stopped by to take a look.
This afternoon I figured they had had enough time to orient, so I decided to put them into their new home.  Besides, I didn't want to wait until tomorrow.
This time I thought out the maneuver in advance.  There had to be a place to put the nuc, so I put the old hive stand in front of the hive.  I figured I would lift the nuc and the hive lid together so I wouldn't need to worry about the hole in the bottom.  Jeremy had warned against just lifting the frames out, so I planned to cut away the side with a box cutter.  Check to make sure all the zippers on my bee suit are zipped, smoker is smoking and... action.

Nuc with side pulled away

I gave the bees a whiff of smoke at the entrance and under the top and the lifted the hive lid and nuc onto the old bee stand.  So far, so good.  I cut the flaps on the side of the nuc and pulled it away, exposing the frames.  Then I realized I had forgotten to bring down the five new frames needed to fill the hive box, so I had to run up to the garage to fetch them.  (So much for my thorough planning!)

Nuc frames in brood box

I used my hive tool to pull apart the frames one-by-one and inspected them while holding them over the hive box (in case the queen were on that frame and fell off).  I didn't spot the queen, but there were capped brood and larvae.  I didn't look hard for, nor see any eggs.  After the five frames from the nuc were in the brood box, I shook some bees that were still in the nuc into the hive.  I wasn't going to upset them by brushing them out of the nuc. I then put in the new frames making ten altogether. 
When I tried to put the on the Vivaldi lid, it wouldn't fit because of burr and brace comb on top of the frames, so I had to scrape them clean with the hive tool.  I put the scrapings in the nuc top, which also had comb on it, to save for later.  I want to try processing the wax.

Nuc box with whole in bottom

With the hive closed up, I turned my attention to the remains of the nuc.  It still had a lot of bees in it.  So I pulled the nuc box more open and set it and the top on the old hive stand. 

I noted that the bees weren't flying across the gap between the stand and the hive, so I retrieved my old ramp and set it into place.  The bees immediately starting running up the ramp into the hive.
I observed the returning foragers buzzing in the space above the new hive where there old home had been.
Now, about 1-1/2 hours later, there are no more bees in the nuc box or lid and there is a cloud of bees in front of the new hive doing what looks like orientation flights.
A successful transplant, I believe.  And no stings.

Heading into their new home

Nuc top with brace comb and scrapings

Admiring the wonder of nature

BTW, here is a picture of Jeremy walking back to his truck Tuesday.

New nuc is here

A couple of days ago, I set the new hive into place.
Yesterday, I drove down to San Luis Obispo to pick up my nuc from Jeremy Rose.  337.7 miles, round-trip, on the odometer.

We met at a pull off and from there I followed him up See Canyon Road to his bee farm.  He has bees in different places, including Watsonville, his hometown.  This one is on someone's property that he is allowed to use in exchange for honey. I parked on the road and rode with him across the field to the hives.
He told me that the initial nuc he had picked for me had mites, so he had selected another.  He makes the nuc by taking frames of brood, as well as pollen and honey, from a strong hive and putting it in the box.  He also raises queen cells in a strong hive and puts one into the nuc and any queen cells that may already be there.  I didn't ask for details about how to raise queens and queen cells, but he recalls he learned his technique from a book by Tom Seeley!  Small world.  He did point out the hive from which my nuc and queen were obtained.

The nuc appeared weather beaten.  He took the top off to make sure there was a queen present.  The box was packed with comb and bees.  Jeremy didn't want to pull any frames because doing so could kill some bees as well as upsetting them.  He peered in and I believe saw brood frame.  He figured there was a queen in there, mainly, I think, based on the girls behavior.  He put a clump of mustard grass leaves in the opening to keep the bees inside.
When he picked up the nuc, there was a large hole in the bottom!  This didn't phase Jeremy, but it did disturb me.  He set the nuc in the bed of the truck and we got in to drive back to where I had parked. Then Jeremy couldn't find his keys.  We looked in the truck, the truck bed and all around in the tall grass.  Finally, after about 15 minutes, he found them between the seats where he had first looked.
At my car, first he said, just put the nuc on something flat in the trunk.  I was in the Prius, which, we all know, doesn't have a trunk.  Then I suggested putting it inside another box.  I happened to be carrying a large box in the car in order to capture a swarm when I come across one.  So we put the nuc inside the box. (Later events made it painfully obvious that this was a very bad plan.  In retrospect, I should have simply cut a piece of cardboard off of my box and duct taped it to the bottom of the nuc.)  It was a tight fit and the lid was lifted off but we got it back on.  Jeremy was concerned about air flow, so he put a small piece of wood under the nuc to hold it off the bottom of the box.  The lid was held loosely shut with duct tape and off I went back to Aptos.
On the trip back about a half-dozen bees. altogether, would fly out of the box and buzz around the back windshield. Jeremy had assured me that they would stay in the back, and one of them flew into the front of the car. Nevertheless, I was a bit nervous about them, so I would occasionally stop and open the hatch to let them out.
It was dark when I got back home at about 8:30.  Jeremy said to put the nuc where the new hive would be take out the leaf plug.  Give the bees 2-3 days to let them orient, and then on a calm, warm day, put the frames into the the new hive.  I figured I'd just put the nuc on top of the new hive.
I thought the bees might be a bit upset, so I slipped on my bee suit.  I must have been discombobulated after all that time driving because I neglected to zip shut the legs. I tried to wear my headlamp inside the suit, but it kept getting knocked down.  (I didn't think to try it over the suit.)  Mickey was over and he agreed to hold a flashlight for me.
I carried the box back, set it on the ground and  opened the lid.  There were bees everywhere!  Hundred, if not thousands, had left the nuc and were in large clusters all around the box.  I had to go back to get my gloves.  With some difficulty, I lifted the nuc out and put it on top of the new hive.  Now I had bees crawling all over my arms.  Being pessimistic, I feared that the queen may have left the nuc and be in one of the clusters.  I figured I would brush the bees into the nuc.
Now this was all being done in the dark with an ever increasingly nervous Mickey holding the light.  He slowly was moving further away.  I would need to take the flashlight now and then to be able to see into the big box.  Understandably, Mickey eventually had enough and retreated to the deck.  
I took the top off the nuc and awkwardly shook and brushed bees out of the box.  Then I felt a bee crawling up my leg.  That was when I realized I had neglected to zip the legs and there were many bees crawling around on the ground.  (Laura has been there before.)

I had bees all over my bee suit, crawling up my legs and chest, and I'm in the dark trying to get the bees out of the big box and into the nuc.  Then, suddenly, there's one inside by hood.  Panic!  I was able to squish it in the face netting.  I did get stung three times, one on my chest, one on my arm and one on my back.  Time to stop.  A few more brushes, I put the box on top of the nuc so the remaining bees would be able to crawl into the nuc and away from the apiary.  Then, before I could remove my bee suit, I had to brush off all the bees.  I was able to get them off my arms, torso and legs, but  I kept hearing buzzing from by back area.  I asked Mickey where the bee was and he excitedly told me I had bees all over my back.  So Maidi used the bee brush to get them off.  I kept moving from place to place on the deck so the newly dislodged bees would not crawl up my legs.
Finally, I was bee free and able to take off the suit.  (I found two more inside the suit today.)  Into the house we went, but it wasn't over yet;  there were three bees buzzing around the light.  They must have come in on one of us.  We were able to corral them and put them outside.
Whew, what a swim!
(To be continued.)

Checking the new brood box, etc.

I took a look into the hive today to see what was happening in the new brood box and to switch out the drone frame.
The two medium supers are pretty full of honey, still.  I guess I could have harvested more last fall.  I know there can be a spring harvest, too, and I need to investigate that.  I think I'll want some  of the honey for the nuc so that I won't need to feed them sugar-water.  Of course, I don't know if that will work either, but I'll find out.
Speaking of nuc, Jeremy emailed me today suggesting that I pick up my nuc this Wednesday, about 7 PM.   A bit of a problem there, as we rehearse every night this week in preparation for the concert this weekend.  He mentioned that someone from Monterey was pinking up a nuc that day.  I asked him if perhaps the Montereian could get mine, too, and then I'd have a much shorter drive.  I hope that can be arranged.  I had been looking forward to meeting Jeremy and asking him lots of questions.
Back to the hive: The drone frame had some capped cells and uncleaned cells from before.  In the picture you can see old cells, some dead (black) pupae, fresh capped cells and white larvae.

Section of drone frame

 I took out about 1/2 dozen pupa and saw a mite on only one.  These pupae were still pretty immature, i.e., no distinct head yet.
There were 4 frames with brood, either capped or larva, and I saw my queen.
I put the first coat of paint on the back shelf; second coat tomorrow.  It's not necessary to paint the shelf, but doing so satisfies my compulsiveness. 
Put the sticky board in.
After I had started to put things away, I went back to the hive to look at some spilt honey and got stung on the back of my head at the hairline- #2.