# 3 swarms from the same ferral hive within 2 weeks. Another one expected



## CoryM465 (Jan 26, 2016)

I'm extremely new to beekeeping but this seems absolutely nuts to me. 

I got a lead on a swarm from a beekeeping friend on the 10th. The swarm was on a cherry blossom tree at a mutual friend's. Across the street is a large diseased tree that's dieing, rotting from the inside out. Bees have taken residence in one of the healthier branches, for how long I don't know. 

Fast forward to 2 days ago the hive swarmed again to the same tree. This was witnessed from start to finish by the friend's wife. Then again today the same tree had a swarm in it. Assumed to be from the same hive. The hive is in the middle of huntsville's heavily populated area. 

After collecting this swarm the original hive's entrance (~5" diameter entrance) was packed with bees as if it was a small swarm at the entrance preparing to swarm away from the hive. 

The first swarm I collect was a good 3 gallons of bees. The next 2 were 1.5 to 2 gallons of bees.

I'll post pictures of the tree hosting the original hive once my phone decides to cooperate.


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## CoryM465 (Jan 26, 2016)

I've circled the hive entrance. You can't see it in the picture but there was a couple dozen bees flying around it when I took this picture a week ago.



Entrance to the hive is in the right section. I know the hive goes all the way down to where the 3 sections meet the trunk. (I drilled a couple holes in that area to a hollow point where bees began coming out.) With all the swarms I highly suspect that the hive goes further into the tree than I had expected. 

I suspect that because the hive is so massive the new queens hatching are not able to find all the other queen cells to kill them before they hatch also. Therefore, there's multiple queens hatching in the hive.


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## JMoore (May 30, 2013)

I hear where swarms land is often a common place that swarms will consistently land. I've heard from a couple property owners from where I collect swarms that they have a swarm rest in the same spot every year. 3 swarms in quick succession like that from one hive is would be improbable...not impossible...just improbable.

Not to hijack the thread, but has anyone looked into ley lines and how they affect bee swarm locations??? Thought I read something awhile ago about it...seemed interesting.


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## CoryM465 (Jan 26, 2016)

I can confirm that the first 2 were from that hive.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I've caught 2 swarms about 40 feet apart in the past week give or take a day. They were either 6 days apart of 8 days apart, I can't remember. The first was larger but not by much and contained a laying queen. I hived the 2nd one 2 days ago and I haven't checked yet to see if the queen is laying. I'm assuming it was an afterswarm from the same hive as the first so it would have a virgin and I did see one virgin queen, but I also saw another queen in the swarm but just caught a glimpse of her.

Since I'm guessing they have a virgin with them I don't want to disturb them to look for eggs. They either have them or they don't so I will just let them be for a couple of weeks.


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