Swarm Season 2011!

The smells of spring are wafting in, dandelions and trees are flowering, the days are getting longer and the bees are buzzing. The honeybee colonies that did well over the winter are flying about in search of early nectar and pollen while deciding that it’s time to spread some of their genes off into the world in the form of swarms. The old queen prepares to swarm just when things are barely getting going again in the spring and she lays an egg in a special cell designed for a future queen bee. The old queen takes off with part of the colony just when the new queen is about to come out of her cell. The rest of the colony stays in the hive with the new queen who shortly thereafter goes on a mating flight and begins her life as the new egg-layer while the old queen and group of workers head off in search of a new home. This process is called swarming and usually happens in the first few months of spring, roughly end of April- early June in Colorado.

When bees first swarm they usually collect on a branch or bush to recollect while sending out scouts to search for a new hive. This is a great time to hive a new colony because in addition to having a stronger genetic knowledge of the area (having overwintered in the local area) through the swarming process, they are also determined to find a new home and are on a mission to build up a new hive starting from scratch.

~~~ BackYardHive Offers Free Honeybee Swarm Removal~~

Swarm season is over for 2015

If you have bees in a structure
(soffit of your house, hollow pillar, attic,or anywhere else)
and you want these bees removed
we don’t do this service

If you see a swarm please call
Bee Swarm Hotline
720-443-2331

 

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For more info follow this link to the BackYardHive website Read More….

2 Comments

Filed under Swarms, Swarms in Boulder

2 responses to “Swarm Season 2011!

  1. Benny Jeffreys

    I do swarms in So Cal. I live in Port Hueneme thats about 80 miles south of L.A. The good thing about doing swarms for free is you get to choose. I don’t like to turn people down but sometimes I have to because I can’t help. I do have a add on the net that says free swarm removal. Sometimes I remove them and they run away from me, but I did save them for a min. I stay in my hood and around this area. I would like to hear from some more swarm chasers and catchers. Also I’ll tell you how to say Hueneme. I have 5+ swarms.

  2. Candy

    I think it is very important to remember that as beekeepers we are providing a service to the public when we remove swarms. The public is not in the position to safely deal with honeybees, so when we collect a swarm we are not only saving the bees, but we are comforting the public. Another thing to remember is collecting a swarm takes your time and gas to drive to pick it up. And then there is no guarantee that in the end you will end up with a production hive in a year or two. So, please, be proud of what you do and don’t give your services away for free.

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