http://www.littleluceyfarm.com/honeybees/index.php/2016/04/swarms/ Trying to get a handle on these amazing creatures Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.35 http://www.littleluceyfarm.com/honeybees/index.php/2016/04/swarms/#comment-70 Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:42:00 +0000 http://www.littleluceyfarm.com/honeybees/?p=792#comment-70 So what happened to the swarm I brought home? As I was installing them, there was a tragic accident. The lid, full of bees, fell from the top of the hive. I carried on with the installation but there was a stubborn group of bees that wasn’t interested in going into the box. I left them figuring they’d head in overnight. The next morning, Saturday, they were still there. As I gently moved them out of the way it was apparent they were attracted to and clustering about a dead queen with a red mark. Whether it was beekeeper error, fate, a gust of wind or bees making a decision we’ll never know. The bees remained in the hive and set to work collecting nectar and building comb. On Wednesday, I purchased a Carniolian queen, marked white, from Eversweet Apiaries. I installed her on Wednesday and released her on Saturday. As far as I can tell, the bees have accepted her. We’ll see in about 1-2 weeks.

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