Watch My Urban Beehive Swarm, It's Beautiful - Beekeeping 101 - GardenFork

Bee swarm In process, what should I do? Honeybees swarm every spring, I managed to video the whole thing. Watch me capture a swarm here: goo.gl/4zz5uZ
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[@SakimasRidgeHomestead]

My hive swarmed about two weeks ago. Then at least 3 after swarms in 24 hours a few days ago once the new queens emerged. We were able to catch two of the small after swarms, but the third went 30 - 40 feet up into the trees, as did the first swarm. It is an amazing thing to watch. Although I didn't get lucky enough to catch the active swarms on video, the aftermath has provided several videos for my channel.

[@gardenfork]

+Porky Pine it's a wild that thing to watch!

[@JustBees]

Yep, that clump was your swarm + queen. You probably could've kept them by putting your temporary hive on top of the old one and not spraying that much pheromone. I catch a lot of swarms by hanging a fly swatter + piece of window screen + pill bottle with lemon grass oil wiped inside it. See my channel for an example. I hang it right by my hive. Queens land there regularly and bees cluster with them. I just drop the whole thing with bees in a double medium with some frames. I have a queen excluder along the bottom of the hive. So basically she's stuck in there, so the follow her.

[@shaunbarker9201]

Hi Eric, sad to see the swarm leave and not re home it. I guess timing is everything, but sometimes everything has to be right. Last year one of our hives swarmed(prime swarm ) and it landed 15 ft away in next doors garden. It was re homed in another make shift hive. Today 27/5/17 either early morning or late evening of the 26th we have 10 hives 5 occupied and 5 empty ready for splits. Anyway back to last night or this morning,I went out to move a feeder used to mass feed,and found it to be nearly empty. Last night there was around 7 pints of syrup and this morning empty. I moved it and opened it to find a small cluster inside,not wanting the bees to get cold,I opened what I thought was a empty hive only to find a huge swarm clustering on the inside of the roof. Also there were bees in the brood chamber,so all in all a great result and a first swarm for us without doing anything. Now our other neighbor has an old dirty hive with just frames,so I melted beads of wax onto a few of the brood and super frames and sprayed them with syrup,adding a lemon grass cotton tip to act as a lure. Plenty of bees were scouting so fingers crossed. Sorry for the drawn out story p,just trying to give you the background on how it happened.

[@TheTorMike]

Dear Queen Bee, please fly north to Toronto and start your new hive near my backyard garden. We've noticed a slow decline in our usual number of bees and my small urban crop of tomatoes & hot peppers really need your help. Come on girl, with a decent tail wind you'll across Lake Ontario, then just head for the big pointy thing (CN Tower), turn right and get hivin'.

[@sooth15]

I guess this is a good sign that the hive is doing well. Those are a LOT of bees!

[@CleanSlateFarm]

Great video. I happened to stop by a beekeeper's house one day while on a business trip and as he was showing me his apiary a swarm started. We stood, without bee suits, in the middle of a monster cluster of swarming bees for about 5 minutes before they took off in a cloud and landed in a tree about 100 yards away. What an amazing and beautiful experience.

[@gardenfork]

its pretty amazing, and they don't sting while swarming. but my friend wouldn't believe me.

[@GaryBoyd02]

Scout around those trees I see down there. Too bad you could have had two hives. I would go into that hive and do an inspection.

[@gardenfork]

+Gary Boyd yes. We did that and looked in the trees. We also had put out several bait hives a week ago. Thx!

[@T289c]

When you make a swarm or bait hive it should have empty space so the bees feel like they have enough space to grow. So you put an empty hive body with no frames on the bottom and the body with frames on top. Then once they are captured give them a proper hive with enough to build in

[@gardenfork]

good info, thx! i was not thinking straight while this was happening, made several mistakes. thx!

[@daymondhughes8848]

You could have taken the swarm trap you showed and raked the bees into it. I've caught swarms in buckets, cardboard box etc. They would have likely stayed until you had time to rehome them into another box. Get the queen in, and you will know in a few minutes as they all start to crawl/fly into the hive. Cool video nonetheless. Keep on beekeeping!

[@gardenfork]

yes, i was having a bit of a meltdown in the moment here! i've been doing this a few years, but still make plenty of mistakes. thx!

[@MichelleMCTran]

Lemongrass works

[@nourabaszanowski4208]

In hindsight would you have tried to trap the queen until you bought up your diy box you made? Interested..

[@gardenfork]

yes, I would have done that!

[@jackbquick123]

Sorry you lost half your hive but this was pretty awesome. Nice video.

[@gardenfork]

yeah, it was pretty amazing to watch. thx!

[@bradgoliphant]

are you still beekeeping my friend? I believe you told me you left it behind.

[@Sentone1000]

I might not have a bee hive or have experience with them but would it be easier to have an empty bee hive set up during the winter in that location just in case during the next year they do that same event?? it's just an observation of what I understand.

[@gardenfork]

+SentOne1000 yes, I put out bait hives nearby in the late spring, similar to what you are suggesting. The swarm likes to move away from the existing hive , so the bait hives are about 100' feet away. Thx!

[@Ichwillkeinenaliascheisyoutube]

I love honey and i know, the bees are important , but i am getting goose bumps, when i see so MUCH bees on one place and instead of your nice music i "hear" the soundtrack of "jaws" ..... :-)

[@carlos125866]

now you know,don't lose site of a hive swarming no matter if you have the box or not keep an eye on them until they find the resting place :)

[@gardenfork]

yes, I knew this from past experience, but in the heat of the moment I did not think to just sweep the cluster into a hive, until it was too late. when its happening all around you, one doesn't always think clearly. it was pretty amazing just to watch it all happen. thx!

[@bbstar19621]

I recall the video where a hive had basically frozen and unsustainable; now this! A Mother Nature smile. I think you've got the equation "almost" figured out. But maybe next year prepare to have a place for the next hive. I'm sure they're looking for a new affordable place - it is Brooklyn!

[@gardenfork]

+bbstar19621 there you go!

[@chrisdonovan8795]

Once again, I clicked on a GF video that I didn't think I would like. Now I want to know if the bees will set up shop in the bait hive.

[@gardenfork]

+The Grim Jester (Chris Donovan) thx Chris!

[@supurbian]

amazing!!! you went from a dead hive to a healthy hive swarming !!.way to go!! too bad you wasn't able to split the hive a week sooner!!.

[@gardenfork]

i keep learning!

[@supurbian]

i learn from you.....sometimes it' what not to do!!!.lolol i love your videos!!

[@swampratman2000]

swarms are truly amazing to watch. but like you said you loose half your hive. I do think you need to remove the entrance reducer that looked like a lot of bees so it must have been a strong colony

[@gardenfork]

+swampratman2000 yes. I did not realize how robust this new package was, so I had not removed the reducer. Thx!

[@Gayle.M]

👍❤️

[@johandeklein5253]

wow thats a big buzz. Pretty amazing. How much bees can live in a fully operational hive?? Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.

[@gardenfork]

+Johan de klein exactly my goal in posting this! It was amazing to stand there and watch. Thx!

[@karianngardenguru]

Thank you for sharing! I am anxiously awaiting the bees in the tree next door to swarm. They did not last year but every year before. I was always at work when it happened, and not yet a beekeeper! I've been raising bees in Langstroth hives,and I have a top bar now empty and awaiting a swarm! I'm keeping a kit in my truck for the call :)

[@gardenfork]

good you are prepared!

[@lodgefamilyhomestead8038]

i raised bees when i was a kid. if i thought the bees were going to swarm i would add an extra full sized super with combed frames. they never swarmed!

[@gardenfork]

+kevin lodge yes. I had just added a third brood super to this new package. Thx!

[@chrisanderson6392]

Could you do a equipment review for bee keeping? Maybe types of bee keeping headgear or full suits pros cons. Go over gloves vs the latex ones. I still have yet to get to do anything with bees just want to know best books you come across for beginners and anything else you have learned you might want to share. Anything bees with you is always fun to watch and informative. Thanks for the education.

[@gardenfork]

Hi Chris, i only have one bee veil jacket, so i don't know about reviewing any, sorry!. I sometimes wear latex gloves, but have stopped wearing them for the most part. the thick gloves are a waste, you can't hold anything with them. accept that you will get stung. after the first few times, its not a big deal anymore. i've been stung 3 times this year. happens. thx!

[@patrickreese1869]

It must be a swarming type of year. In western Ohio, it seems that most beekeeping friends have had swarms. This my second summer, and no matter what I tried, at two of my three hives swarmed (those are the ones I caught, so the third may have swarmed unbeknownst to me). I put in four packages, and one of those started building swarm cells. I was able to split it, so seven hives became ten very quickly. Have you been able to catch swarm cells in time that you can do a split? Your videos are excellent, Eric!

[@gardenfork]

thx Patrick, I have been able to avert some swarming, but bees don't read books, and they go ahead anyway. i'm still learning. thx!

[@chrisanderson6392]

Isn't swarming a good thing? Doesn't it mean the bees numbers are increasing and be a good sign or do some swarm and abandon the hives completely? Sorry very much a green horn here.

[@chrystalreese5243]

No problem, Chris. Swarming does usually mean the hive is strong, and they've outgrown their space. If you can catch the swarm, it's a natural way to split the hive. If you're not fortunate enough to catch the swarm, you've now lost half the hive. It's not something you can always avoid, and it was really cool that Eric was able to catch this hive in the act.

[@chrisanderson6392]

Patrick Reese thank you. I'd love to be in the middle one of these.

[@chrisanderson6392]

Chrystal rather sorry.

[@Max-rq3et]

where are you located in brooklyn, Starting a hive on my roof in brooklyn and looking to see how many other keepers there are, and what the brooklyn scene is.

[@pcking2008]

Do you think they outgrew their boxes/home?

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

what do you think about the FLOW hive? have you tried it?

[@gardenfork]

+CYI3ERPUNK I have not used one. From what I know, it's not something I would buy. Thx!

[@thuffman44]

As a amature beekeeper myself, I know how challenging hive management becomes. Sometimes the colony makes several attempts with swarming. There are 'mini swarms' or pre swarms which can happen over the coarse of a few days (so who knows, they may come back again) More frequent inspections are certainly needed during the times of nectar flow. But I'm sure with having hives on a roof top & your busy schedule it makes it difficult to stay on top of them. Ideally it would have been great to split the hive prior to swarming. Here in Florida, when the nectar flow is heavy, it seems I have to go into my strong colonies at least once every 5 to 7 days to either check for swarm cells or to ensure they are not honey bound I think right now is good time to inspect. Let's look for signs of a hatched out queen cell. Virgin queens that hatch out are always hard to find, but with any luck she will mate with a drone and continue laying prior to your change of season - check in 3 to 4 weeks for signs of eggs or larva As for swarm traps, I believe these need to already be setup prior to swarm occurring. Scout bees will find the trap box prior to the colony leaving. If they feel the cavity of the box is large enough, they will move right in (so only leave a few frames in the box, 1 or 2 frames is all that's needed). Also be cautious about how much essential oil you use. Too much essential oil acts as a repellent at first... 4 to 5 drops on a cotton ball is sufficient Anyhow - I have hope for you that all will turn out well. Your beekeeping videos always are inspiring no matter the condition or issue. Thank you again for sharing your progress. I look forward to your next update

[@gardenfork]

+Tim Huffman thx Tim! This was a new package and I had just added a third medium brood super. I had several bait hives out already but thought I'd try one more. Thx!

[@thuffman44]

+Gapeys Grub - the beekeepers here in Florida who catch swarms often informed me about that. Understanding that swarms come in all sizes. From small tiny swarms, to big huge swarms. Leaving all the frames in the box wont really "hurt" anything perse but you'll increase the chance of a capture using less foundation... if you have 8 frame or 10 frame size boxes to spare, use them! So far, I've captured 3 swarms, all using a 5 frame deep nuc. Usually, 1 frame of empty old brood comb and 1 foundation-less frame

[@devin6307]

can i live in your house you have honey,maple syrup,garden and bee keeping

[@syaoranoni54326]

Beautiful, very cool. What city are you in?

[@gardenfork]

the hives are in Brooklyn, thx!

[@primumnonnocere2709]

i think you should increase a brood box before the swarm had to happend.

[@gardenfork]

we did. it happened anyway. this was a new package install, highly unusual for it to swarm.

[@primumnonnocere2709]

what about to check the brood box in spring every 10-15 days and search for queen cells and kill it after being sure that the queen is still alive?

[@dayglowjim]

Aren't they pretty? Congratulations, and I'm sorry. Bees do that. Thank you for keeping them, and I hope they found a great place to live.

[@striper1ct]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing. I thought you were in northwest CT? I'm new to this like you and I enjoy seeing video like that and learning as much as I possibly can. I've had three swarms that I've seen already this spring. Despite a swarm trap like the one you put together I haven't caught any. I think it might be too close to the original colonies. Do you raise you own queens? I've had very good success raising queens from swarm cells this spring. I have mated, egg-laying queens ready to go after a swarm, or, if a colony has trouble re-queening itself after a swarm. I'll use some to help re-build colonies that lost bees to swarms. When she fills a complete frame with eggs/brood I'll swap it out for a new frame and add it to one of the production colonies.

[@gardenfork]

good to hear, we keep bees in CT and NYC, this swarm was in the city. thx!