# More and more, free bees



## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

So, what are the odds of that happening again tomorrow? Or, ever again for that matter? Would love to have been there to hold your smoker.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Joseph, I know you've said in the past that you have had trouble with Africanized invaders, it is good these ones appear gentle. I read in Africa that honeybees have become migratory moving with the flows. Does this invasion correlate with an impending honey flow? Are there many other beekeepers in the area?


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Mr. Clemens, do you OWN a camera? lol
That had to be an awesome sight to witness first hand.
Congrats on the captures.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I think the three small swarms were possibly AHB, one of them simply flew in and took over a recently queenless mini mating nuc, and the other two were no larger than those tiny watermelons that have recently become popular. Perhaps they too would have taken over other nucs. 

When I'm raising queens, I usually mark them as soon as they begin to lay. I also raise nearly all cordovan queens, so I have a better chance of maintaining EHB, instead of AHB.

The established colony in the box were so gentle, neither I nor my neighbor were wearing any protective gear at all. Neither of us were even being checked over by any guard bees. I carried the entire colony back to my place and removed the comb, then shook the bees into a nuc, all without any aggressive/defensive behavior.

Contrast the established cardboard colony, with another swarm I captured a few weeks ago (about 20+ miles away, in town). They too were docile as a swarm, but became overly defensive once hived, then played musical nucs as they took over another nearby nuc, previously headed by a cordovan virgin.

I have no way to discover how many other beekeepers are near me, other than the few who come to me for nucs and queens. Most nuc customers are from towns outside my local area.
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I do sometimes take photos, but though I thought about it, I was much too busy to go fetch the camera.


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## mtndewluvr (Oct 28, 2012)

Time to go buy a Lotto ticket!!


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