Swarm Traps - Are You Ready ?
With the recent warm weather and the maples blossoming, and dandelions coming on, those colony's are gearing for expansion.
Those swarm traps should be built by now and you should have a good idea where to place them. This weekend would be a great time to get them out and ready for May 1st. Any colony's that made it through winter, have been raising brood for a month now and some of the populations are excellent. Remember, bee's do two things: they make honey and more bees.
I came across an excellent YouTube video that was put on line by Cornell University. The video features author and professor, Tom Seeley.
Tom Seeley authored the book, Honeybee Democracy. I have not read the book, but anyone that is going to put out swarm traps, needs to watch this video. I have provided a link below.
Good luck and keep us up to date on your success !
EDITOR"S NOTE: I have been through many of my hives marking queens so that I can determine if they are superceding. So far I have seen no queen cells which would be the first indicator that swarming is pending. I did see a few queen cell cups without eggs or larvae. Typically, swarming does not begin until the honey flow has started. So far the bees have primarily been bringing in pollen, not nectar, but this will quickly change as clover and some trees start to bloom. As Jack said, be prepared.and get those swarm traps out. You will also need a spare hive or nuc to house your captured swarm. Good hunting!
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