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Fri, 14 May 1999 00:36:43 EDT |
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In a message dated 5/14/99 12:26:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> Is there any evidence to indicate that bees scout for a new site prior to
> swarming or is the scouting all done from the swarm when it is clustered on
> the tree branch.
> Today I had one get by me and I set out a bait hive with old comb and a
> pheremone capsule.
> Also do the bees show a preference for cedar trees as I find may swarms
here
> in CT to be in the top 1/4 of cedar trees.
I think they do some ahead of time. I have seen swarms issue and
immediately go into a stack of supers. I don't know about the cedar trees. I
suspect it has more to do with a convenient resting spot for the queen.
Wherever she lands, the swarm will pitch.
I noticed swarm scouts looking over the equipment in front of the
honeyhouse this morning. This afternoon a swarm moved into a stack. Gotta
love those freebies! Especially since it didn't come from one of my
hives.......
I caught a swarm very early this season in an area where no bees have
been kept for about ten years. I had a bee yard in that neighborhood, but
they were vandalized and I gave up that spot. I'm sure I would know about it
if anyone else had a hive.
At any rate the swarm was small, and I did nothing at all to feed or
encourage it. It is now what I call a "buster." I spent awhile the other day
looking for varroa mites, and did not find a single one, though they have not
been treated. Here's hoping.......! The only drawback so far is that they
are quite sassy.
[log in to unmask] Dave Green Hemingway, SC USA
The Pollination Scene: http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page: http://www.pollinator.com
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm
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