# Educate me on swarms



## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

Very new to bees and this year is my 1st hive. I talked to a lady this week that said about once every year or so she has a swarm of bee's at her house and lets a guy catch them. Said if I was interested the next time she would contact me.

First off, is it a certain time of the year they swarm? I am in northcentral Missouri.

Next, how the heck do you catch a swarm? Need special equipment or just set an empty hive out for them to go to?

Once they are caught, just put them in an empty hive and buy a queen?

What else would I need to do?


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Swarm information for you:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

Generally, a swarm would have a queen already. The swarming bees are planning to establish a new colony, and need a queen with them to do so.

Swarms looking for a new home may temporarily cluster in an exposed location while their scouts check out possible new homes. At that point, the swarm can often be shaken or brushed into a box or bucket, then transferred to a hive body.


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

Guess I have never seen a swarm. I should expect to find them just bunched up on something? Then just catch them? What is best way to catch them?

If they are looking for a home, what would be the chance if someone put an empty hive out beside them, them making it their new home on their own?


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

Just heard this lady has them show up in an old hollow tree.

Another friend has them in the walls of a barn. Said these are so thick you can hear them in the walls and are everywhere when you walk into the barn. Never done anything about them because they have never bothered anyone.

How would someone try to catch bee's in these situations?


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

To catch a swarm you get out a small buterfly net.... No just kidding... once the swarm is settled you are best handled if you put your box directly under them and give them a good shake. sometimes that means cutting a branch or two.... if you just set a hive on the ground, odds are they will ignore it.

As for the barn, its a cutout, or set a swarm trap 100 yards away....


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Youtube Josh..... youtube.
Look up bee swarm
Also bee removal

Be prepared to watch for hours.


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

Oh I love youtube!

Another question. If you find a swarm and put them in a 10 frame box, is it ok to have a new box with no comb on the frames? 

Probably nothing I will get into this year, but looking forward to the upcoming years.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

A swarm is a cluster of bees that have left a parent colony, they have no home yet but will shortly as they are looking for one as the majority of the bees hang in that cluster. they are simple and easy to catch. shake the tree branch etc and the entire cluster will fall in a box. they will regather wherever the queen is.

A colony inside a tree or wall of a building is not a swarm. that is an entirely different situation the bees will not necessarily behave the same. control the queen or brood or best both and you can then control the rest of the bees. I not only suggest you watch some videos and read some information on swarm gathering. but on beekeeping in general. once you catch the swarm. the fun has only begun.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

josh78 said:


> Oh I love youtube!
> 
> Another question. If you find a swarm and put them in a 10 frame box, is it ok to have a new box with no comb on the frames?
> 
> Probably nothing I will get into this year, but looking forward to the upcoming years.


I have been able to keep swarms in both 56 frame and 10 frame boxes with nothing but foundation. not the best method and it runs a higher risk they will just up and move on. but it can and has worked. I have not lost a swarm yet and I have never had extra empty comb to offer them. Old boxes where bees have lived yes. And I think that also helps.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

Josh 
We had a swarm call Tuesday two weeks ago. All we had was a 10 frame box with Plastic foundation. Last Wednesday they had 6 frames drawn and caped in two of them. 
Swarm's are geared up to draw comb right away.
Are you involved in a local club?
They would be your best help getting started.
Jim


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

I live is very rural Missouri and don't know of any clubs anywhere close to me. I know an older guy in my area that has messed with bee's his entire life that I can get to help me out. Right now I have 1 hive and they seam to be doing pretty good. 

I don't have an extra hive right now, so sounds like that is the 1st thing I need to worry about before trying to catch a bunch of bees. 

I have read books and watched videos, but those are just 1 persons thoughts. I enjoy asking questions on forums because here I can get lots of ideas on what has worked for several other people. Hope you all don't get tired of all of my questions, cause I am sure I will have lots more. Im just getting started and have a lot more to learn about bees.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

josh78 said:


> I live is very rural Missouri and don't know of any clubs anywhere close to me.


There is a beekeeping group that appears to be relatively near you in Columbia, MO:
http://www.boonebees.org/

You can find all MO clubs here:
http://mostatebeekeepers.org/local-associations/


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## beekid (Nov 20, 2012)

Has anyone had any luck putting up ads on craigslist for swarm removal? I want free bees


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

You will find a wealth of information about catching swarms on youtube. My favorites ore by JPthebeeman.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

beekind
Yes craigslist works. I received a call about a month ago about a swarm. I wasn't ready and missed it.


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

One more rookie question on swarms. If the bee's swarm out of a hive and they have the queen with them, what happens to the remaining bee's in the hive? Would a new queen need to be purchased and added to the hive?


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

no, they raised a new queen to replace her before they swarmed. sometimes several and they will swarm more than once.


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

Thanks. That one had me confused for a while


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## josh78 (Mar 26, 2013)

So before the queen swarms she lays virgin queen eggs. The virgin queens hatch and pretty much kill each other off until 1 is left, then that virgin queen takes over the hive and the old queen swarms and leaves with part of the bees?


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

pretty close... Actually she doesn't decide. the workers do. they turn a cell into a queen by feeding. Swarm queens also do not always kill each other off. probably 85% of the time they do, but when a hive is ready to swarm sometimes several of those queens will survive together.

and then normally a month or 2 after the swarm settles in, that queen is super ceded...... which is one of the reasons a lot of package queens get super ceded.... its a swarm.


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## puttererbee (May 21, 2013)

gmcharlie said:


> and then normally a month or 2 after the swarm settles in, that queen is super ceded...... which is one of the reasons a lot of package queens get super ceded.... its a swarm.


Newbie question: Why do the bees sometimes super cede the new swarmed queen? It doesn't sound very efficient.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

generaly the swarm leaves with the OLD queen..... not always but about 90% are the original queens swarming.. so a new swarm is generaly in the mindset of replaceing her pretty soon. I don't know if its a trait, or if any slowdown in the queen triggers it, I just know its pretty common... nucs and old hive supercede a lot less.


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