# "A swarm in July, isn't worth a fly." Still July in a hot climate?



## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

I had swarm calls into October of last year, and they started in January this year. If you can buy sugar, any swarm can be worth collecting.


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## a_bee_in_az (Apr 11, 2016)

Thanks Mike, now do you use white granulated cane sugar from the store or something different?


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## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

Yup. I buy it in 25 or 50 sacks. Can usually be found for just under $.50/#


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I caught a smallish swarm mid July last year, put them on bare foundation, fed till winter. They survived well on 2 1/2 mediums full


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

If they die under your care they would have probly died on their own so getting whatever comb they give might still make it worth it.
Im a newby but would look at it like that for me.
gww


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

A one frame swarm I caught in September became a booming hive this year, with a few frames of brood stolen from other hives.

It's a free queen, no matter the size of the swarm.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

The end of good swarm catching season? When they stop swarming. lol
Here last season I got a really late swarm in Sept. I combined them with a weak hive. Today they are my second best producer of queens and honey. Two other beekeepers refused to get them before I was called. 
Keep on passing them up I say! There's always a place for late swarms here.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I live in a high elevation area. Also its arid, so colonies build slowly,in spring. Nothing will happen before May 1st. Swarming really gets going in June. There' s no benefit to placing swarmlures earlier, around here. 

It is interesting to read of March and April swarms in other parts of the country, but, not happening here. It seems to be fairly climate sensitive. 

Too many July , August swarms, and I'll just combine a lot of them. I have 1 hive made of 3 swarms, and it's doing well. Thats a way of pushing up colonies to overwintering size.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Will share my experience with last summer. Had July and August swarms along with some cutouts I did in September and October. (other people's bees swarmed) Of course they were supposed to all die but I fed them up to winter weight, babied them, wrapped them up, and tucked them in. Guess what? Only two colonies in my "quarantine" area died and one was a package from Georgia I'd bought in early May last spring. This means I saved a lot of bees by not listening to the "July swarms ain't worth messin with". 

On the other hand I think I bought around 600# of sugar last summer/fall. I think I came out ahead because of all the bees I got now. Been splitting them same bees too. I'm way ahead of where I'd be if I had simply let them die.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

tanksbees said:


> A one frame swarm I caught in September became a booming hive this year, with a few frames of brood stolen from other hives.
> 
> It's a free queen, no matter the size of the swarm.


I'm a witness to Tank's queens. I've caught two of his swarms already and they're very productive. I'm even going to share with him a little honey his bees have made so far this season!:lpf:


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