"A Swarm In June Is Worth A Silver Spoon"

Yesterday I planned to catch my breath from the Bernina Lady's debut and get myself reorganized. However, when the Amherst Police Dept. called around 9:30 a.m. with news of a bee swarm, it appeared life had other plans. My eldest son Patrick is always up for an adventure (thank heavens, as we seem to have lots of them!) so he and I loaded up the bee gear and headed out. The swarm had landed in a tree on Queen Street (now how appropriate is that? Do you suppose the bees read the sign and figured it was a good place to head with Her Highness?) We had no problem finding the right spot, as the homeowner had placed a barricade on the sidewalk. Here's the swarm on the tree:

At first it didn't look like much, but as we worked we discovered that there was a long fissure in the tree and the bees were filling the gap inside the trunk. These are just the fellows left on the outside. Hmmm...now how will we get them out of there? Capturing a swarm takes a bit of creative thinking, as no two are ever alike. Patrick and I conferred and decided that we would set some bait (a honey frame) and try as best we could to gently encourage the bees into the nuc (a small bee hive).

You can see to the left of the tree there is a full frame of honey, and the grey nuc box is just below where I am working. The bee brush has extremely soft bristles and it is important to use a gentle sweeping motion across the bees. You don't want to hurt anybody. I brushed them into my left hand and then shook my hand in the nuc to release the bees.The bees came willingly, and we were no time getting them all gathered up in the nuc. When we checked at suppertime, they were happily playing in their new home. This "bridging" indicates a happy group of bees, so we felt confident we had captured the queen with the swarm even though we hadn't seen her at that point.

We started going through the frames one by one and Patrick spotted her right away. Can you see her?

Look just ahead of my finger. She's a beauty - a rich amber colour.

Patrick acted as photographer on this adventure, and he took great pictures. Thanks, Patrick! Tomorrow we will move these bees to the apiary. They are not a full hive, but by summer's end should be built up enough to overwinter.