Bee Keeping

[short cut sally]

Well, I've had an interesting week with my bees. I observed the swarm box a few days after I shook them off the cover and into the hive. The entrance had a decrease in activity, but still had activity. So, curiosity got the best of me, as the sugar water just wasn't being consumed. Sure enough, the swarm left, but didnt' take all of the crowd with them. They left enough behind to fill a family sized mayo jar. They were building comb, even though they were very small in number. Tried to find a queen, couldn't. My bee mentor, Don, said I could marry the weak hive to the pkg. hive as they won't do anything in that hive without a queen. They will die. So, I went to gather the newspaper as the books and Don said, to put the hives on top of each other, and when the bees chewed thru, they would be accustomed to each smell and no fighting would occur. I was prepared to do this, until the paper I had, wasn't large enough for the hive...so now I am left to figure out where to find larger newspaper to put in place.
I had to go the bee store to get a few more things, so I inquired there about what to do. He said just let them be, make a learning experience out of the handful of bees that are in there. They may be waiting for a queen to come back if they are continuing to build comb.
Both Don and the bee place said that swarms are so funny. Usually swarms are formed when a new queen emerges in the colony, and the old queen will leave and take half the colony with her. They also will swarm when there are several "virgin" queens and they take flight, or fresh young mated queens will also take colony with them. Both agree that swarms are not stable things.
So, I opted to wait another week, see what goes on in that swarm hive. As of this weekend, maybe 100 bees might have been mingling around. There was no hopes of a queen coming back.
At work, a friend asked me what a swarm of bees looks like as they believed they had a swarm in their tree. Sure enough, they did. They agreed not to kill it until I got their this morning, but it had to be gone bright and early. I got up, took a giant pillow case, and came home with a new swarm of bees.
I decided, seeing as how there was nothing going on in the swarm hive, they were about to get some new company. Per the honey bee place, I sprayed some floral room deodorizer in the air to mask any smells, sprayed in the walls of the hive and around the pillowcase. I then took out a few frames, removed the branch and proceded to shake the branch off while DH shook out the pillowcase which is covered with klinging bees. The air became filled with bees. I bet there was a good 3#s of bees, in this swarm, if not more. They swirled and swirled. IT was really amazing, it would've been terrifying if we weren't in our protective gear though. Immediately some took to the pollen patties and I filled the sugar water feeder half full-as that's all I had pre-made. Covered up the hive and left.
I went back up tonight as I wanted to get the aerosol can I forgot to pick up, and the sugar water was gone. So I came back, made up some and went back to fill it up. There was maybe 25-40 dead bees on the ground at the entrance area. Not sure if they were dead ones from the swarm that got injured or if they were what didn't make it during the "merger".
I have to check my pkg. bees and see what they are doing. It's time this week to pull a few frames and see the progress. They have had constant entrance activity, all coming and going. I probably should've done that before putting the swarm in the hive, but I didn't want to keep the swarm in the case too long. I had to travel almost an hour to get them, and Don wasn't home to help walk me thru, his wife promised he would be right back to call me. I waited 2 hours then opted to do it before the bees became too overheated in the case.
I will give updates on both hives next week or so. I go to my 2nd honey bee association meeting next week. I might make PB cookies..or rhubarb custard pie to take. OR I might just make and forget to take..
Oh, I had to send in my papers to register my bees as mentioned previously, and I received my "yard" numbers. I have to make a sign to hang the hive (house) numbers on. I asked our tax assessors DH that if they are assigned a house number, does that mean I have to pay taxes on their establishment too? He looked very dumbfounded..then took a minute to realize I was joking with him.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Shelly, what a fabulous tale!!
I am so impressed that you went and nabbed a whole swarm of bees in a pillowcase and drove them home in your car! Stunning move.

[Zen]

This is an exciting story.

And i want that pie recipe. I don't even cook but loooove rhubarb, pie and custard. All three together...I swoon at the thought.

[GLC1968]

Holy amazing story, batman!

I hope your new hive makes themselves right at home.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I hope your new hive makes themselves right at home.

And there's always the possibility that the 'new swarm' is really the 'old swarm that left her hive a day or two before those poeple told her there was a wild swarm in their tree. Could be you went and kidnapped your same bees back!

[short cut sally]

I was very proud of myself for getting that swarm, of course, early in the morn, it was cool and they were huddled so it made it a lot less terrifying for me, and my friend was there to hand me the branch cutters once I got the case around the branch. The impressive part was putting them in the hive, the swirling of bees was just amazing..My friend couldn't believe they were going to be right behind me in the back seat..he was going to listen to the scanner to see if any crazy lady got into an accident with a bag full of bees inside her vehicle..
And Zen (and everyone else) here's the recipe for Rhubarb custard pie
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tblsp. flour
pinch salt
2 cups of rhubarb cut up to smaller size(like celery for a sandwich)
Beat eggs, then add milk and sugar. Mix flour and salt and add to wet mixture then add rhubarb. Put mixture into a 9" unbaked pie shell, you might want to cover the pie edges only with foil, bake for a good hour at 350 or until knife comes out clean.
I usually go over the hour to bake, hence the foil around the pie edges. I have never used foil tins to bake in, only glass so this is based on that.
This recipe is not low fat, but man is it ever so hard to resist. Keep refrigerated after baking too..ENJOY...

[Zen]

That sounds easy enough, thanks!

OOOH! Check this out-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_bees_on_a_plane

I am thinking of Samuel L. Jackson ..."I'm tired of these m.....f......bees on this plane!"