A swarm in May... but this is June and one can not always get what one wants.
Over the past couple of days I have noticed increasing interest in the pulp pot swarm trap. This afternoon while I was changing out of my pickleball clothes, I heard a loud buzzing coming from the front. I ran out in my stocking feet and saw what I expected- a swarm moving into the trap.
The swarm approaches the trap |
They begin to land and enter the trap |
Traffic jam. The bees are landing faster than they can go inside |
Just about all the bees have landed |
Then, I made my big mistake.
I had been wanting to place ant moats under all the hive stands, and I thought it would be easier to place them now before adding another hive. What I misjudged was just how heavy #1 was.
The whole thing was a bit tilted after I was able to lift the stand and place the moats under three of the legs. The last leg was in the front below the hive. As I tried to lift it, the inevitable happened-
the stand and entire hive fell over backwards!
I quick like a bunny ran to the shed, donned my bee suit, tried fruitlessly to get the smoker going, and ran back to the apiary. There I righted the stand, easily placing the moats under the legs. I re-assembled the hive from the bottom up. Inspected the ground to see if the queen was there (I did not see her) and then went back to the intended job.
I placed the new hive in #2 position and removed all but the two outermost frames and put grass across the entrance. I then went to the front, plugged the entrance to the swarm trap, unhooked it and carried it into the back. I decided to keep the bee suit on since I did not know how mad the bees from #1 would be after their big disturbance.
Proud papa |
In a few days when all the stragglers from the swarm are gone, I will re-hang the swarm trap.
What an adventure! Great work!
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