# my hives & apiary . . . just need some swarms



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

It looks very nice, welcome to beekeeping!


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## Tazcan (Mar 25, 2012)

Nice setup.
Your sign turned out real good.
Hope you get your swarm soon, how do you find them?


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## cptncatholic (Mar 21, 2012)

Tazcan said:


> Hope you get your swarm soon, how do you find them?


I joined our local Beekeepers Association and they have a Swarm List. If someone calls the police or county extension office to report a swarm, they call the Association, and the association just goes down the list. I also know a few other beekeepers who are going to watch their hives and let me know if they have any swarms.


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## robherc (Mar 17, 2012)

@cptncatholic If you have a very "active" swarm list, you're gonna need more boxes!

@Tazcan I put up a "Honeybee Removal/Relocation" ad on my local Craigslist.org site saying I'd remove hives/swarms for reimbursement of fuel & minor equipment costs...couldn't build hives fast enough to put all the bees in from the phonecalls...I finally had to remove the ads so I can get some more hives prepped in advance!


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

looks great - but i would consider a beefier stand - hives get heavy and 2x2 pine will just snap like match sticks - and having to clean up 2 hives that have crashed together would be a mess for you and them. but again welcome to beekeeping .... land of the trial and error !!!!


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

I'm with concrete-bees, if your hives are productive the stand could be a disaster. Something as simple as some cement blocks to set the hives on would work.

Is where you have them sitting backed up to the wall there permanent location? That means you'll basically have to work them from the front...easier on you and the bees if you could work them from the back.

Best wishes on getting a swarm soon!!!!!

Ed


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## sasquatch (Mar 13, 2010)

capt,your doing great,you mite try a sworm trap or to.be patiant about sworms,when you least expect it you will get a lead on one.keep the nec gear in your vehicle,and allways bee ready...good luck


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## cptncatholic (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! 



concrete-bees said:


> looks great - but i would consider a beefier stand - hives get heavy and 2x2 pine will just snap like match sticks


@ concrete-bees, I worried that after I stacked 8 or 10 supers or each of those boxes that the stand might not be able to support the weight of the hive.  But I'm not expecting that to happen, at least not this year. It it happens though, I'll get something more sturdy. But with screen bottom boards, I want to stay away from blocks that will cover up the screen. 



robherc said:


> @cptncatholic If you have a very "active" swarm list, you're gonna need more boxes!


@ robherc, We have a pretty active swarm list, but the list is pretty long, so there's a lot of people looking for swarms. But you're right too, once people find out your are beekeeper, they say all you're friends will call you. 

The staff at my church's office has already earmarked me for removing the next swarm that tries to move into the belltower (tho I may have to get some help with that one). And I've also already gotten some interesting questions ("So, once you get your bees, how do you get them to come back to your hive?" Asked by an adult, not a child. A smartaleck friend next me said, "Oh, they each come with a little leash that he attaches to their back leg.")



Intheswamp said:


> Is where you have them sitting backed up to the wall there permanent location? That means you'll basically have to work them from the front...easier on you and the bees if you could work them from the back.


@Intheswamp In the photo the hives are in my garage, not in the apiary. But thank you for that tip. When I move the hives to the apiary, I will make sure that I position the hives out in the middle of the apiary so that I can get around to the back of the hives. 



sasquatch said:


> keep the nec gear in your vehicle,and allways bee ready...good luck


@sasquatch Thanks! I got my gear in my CRV and ready to go if I get a call!

TC


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## sasquatch (Mar 13, 2010)

i agre with intheswamp,NEVER werk a hive from the front,thats bag gugu.it will never work out,thats there protection area.and they WILL protect it.
keep us posted on your progress,now sworms yet in my area of colorado but gettin close.


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## SpeckledPup (May 25, 2011)

Never posted a photo but here goes (photo too large, need to figure out how to re-size it)

I use 12 inch blocks as stands, with the screened bottom board. All you have to do is spread the blocks far enough apart that you have air flow under the hive.


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

I agree with the others that that stand will probably snap once that full deep gets some weight to it. I think I see a knot in it too which means it will fail sooner rather than later. Test it out by sitting on it.

Having a hive on blocks doesn't decrease the effectiveness of a SBB. Once the mites get through the screen they can't get back up without hitchhiking onto a bee.


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## SpeckledPup (May 25, 2011)

Duplicate post


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

There's plenty of air flowing under these hives. Roughly a little over 9" span between blocks (8-frame hives). Another neat thing is that in the winter you can wrap the blocks with roofing felt and it blocks off the cold wind and acts as a solar heat sink...all the while giving the bees an "open-air" bottom. Sure, an inch or so of screen on each side of the hive is sitting above the cement blocks, but I don't think it's a major deal.

Ed


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## RiodeLobo (Oct 11, 2010)

cptncatholic said:


> I worried that after I stacked 8 or 10 supers or each of those boxes that the stand might not be able to support the weight of the hive.  But I'm not expecting that to happen, at least not this year.


If your bees fill both hives with just a deep and medium you are looking at over 300 lbs. Two deeps and a medium can run 480 lb for 2 hives.


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## sasquatch (Mar 13, 2010)

cpt,remember i posted to keep your geer in your vehicle.todey at 7.35am the phone rang,i was in the truck while still on the phone with her.a huge sworm 5ft of the pavement,gave them a frame to use as a crawl ladder rite into my box.1st sworm of the year!!!!!!!
allways be ready cpt,there free and worth the effert.good luck,beee safe.


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## cptncatholic (Mar 21, 2012)

Okay, you guys convinced me!









I picked up some blocks this morning at the HW store. 

And there is my swarm catchin' box with all my tools inside it.

Thanks for all your feedback and advice! I appreciate it!

TC


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## cptncatholic (Mar 21, 2012)

Whoa!!! 

I'm glad that I picked up those blocks today! Right after lunch I got a call from the president of our beekeeper's association and he said that a member had two swarms from his hives. So we went to pick them up and I took them home, set up my hives and installed my bees.

Now the real learning begins!

Swarm #1: http://procyon.com/~tclong/pics/swarm1.jpg
Swarm #2: http://procyon.com/~tclong/pics/swarm2.jpg

Bees safe at home! 
http://procyon.com/~tclong/pics/DSC01712.JPG


TC


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## sasquatch (Mar 13, 2010)

bet you where glad you were all pkd and ready when you got that call.your of and runnin now.keep us posted.im installing 31 pkgs tomorrow.i wish they wer sworms,thoes are free.


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