Swarm Catching in North Carolina! (Pt 1)

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We have bees that live between the walls and brick face of our house. They’ve been there as long as I can remember, which is about 25+ years (I now live in the house my grandparents built in the 40s). There used to be woods around, so when they swarmed they’d find an old tree or some sort of new home immediately. Now there are condos where the woods were, so the swarms usually stop midway between our pond and the house while sending out scouts for a new home.

Yesterday we were acclimating two new pullets to our flock of hens when I spotted a swarm. I was curious about why they hadn’t taken to the hive and Charlie, my husband, pulled out a piece of cardboard that was blocking the entrance. Oops! I don’t perform well under pressure, so all of the potential for me messing up the exciting possibility of having bees left me better suited for taking pictures rather than capturing the swarm.

swarm.jpg

Here are a few pics of us bumbling around the swarm like new parents. All the gear is overkill for the time we found them. I think Charlie just wanted to use the equipment we have. We’ve got lure in the hive and wax foundations in place and moved the hive to about 2 feet from the swarm, really trying to tempt them with the hive. We both thought we’d get up this morning and brush the swarm into the hive, but the morning routine of getting the kid ready for day care and getting ourselves ready for work proved challenging enough. We’ll just wait and see if they move in while we’re at work. If not, there will be other swarms this summer and we’ll be better prepared.

(To be continued…)

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