This weekend I was still beeless, as there has been an outbreak of American Foul Brood (AFB) in my supplier’s area and movement of bees and hives has been suspended. “Let me know if any swarms come your way”, I said to my in-laws on Sunday.
On Monday evening, just before I started putting Tommy to bed, I got an unexpected call from Tom, my father-in-law. “We have a swarm!” he said. Can you believe it? The bees came to us.
Carol, my mother-in-law, kindly babysat Tommy while Tom and I went to collect the swarm. The bees had been kind on me and conveniently landed on a low-down apple tree branch, about six feet up. Even a shortie like me could reach them with a stepladder. My sister-in-law, Oni, and brother-in-law, Alan, were also on hand. As Oni is a similar size to me she got my spare bee suit and assisted me with the swarm collection. Al happens to be a multi-award winning documentary-style wedding photographer (alanlawphotography.co.uk and thisisreportage.com), so he came in handy to take photos! A joint family effort.
I was excited but also a little nervous as I’ve never collected a swarm before. I’ve read lots about it, and heard talks about it, but that’s not quite the same is it? My plan was to collect them straight into my spare hive, as I didn’t have a nuc or skep ready. This made it a two-person job, as you can’t hold up a National hive with one hand. Although she has never done beekeeping before, Oni was very brave and held the hive steady for me under the swarm.
The swarm was hanging just above me in the evening light, settled down for the night. Away from home, on an adventure, with just each other in the world. They buzzed lightly and contentedly, a few circling the swarm but most clinging together in a perfect mass. Balancing on the stepladder, I counted ‘One, two, three!’ and proceeded to shake the apple tree branch.
Nothing happened. I shook it more vigorously, again and again. The swarm swayed, but held firm together. It would take more than my shaking to shift them. I had read in my books that you could try holding the skep or nuc box above them, as bees like to enter dark cavities. But I imagined that might take some time, the hive was heavy, and it was already gone 8pm. I decided I would need to move the bees in myself.
I stuck my hand into the swarm. Trying my best to be gentle, I used my hand to shake them loose into the hive box Oni was holding up for me. They were soft, warm, and miraculously put up with me doing this. Swarms fill up on honey before they leave, so as long as they still have plenty of honey in their stomachs they are usually good-tempered. Once I had a fair number in, I got Oni to put the box down on the ground.
The colony stayed in the hive, lifted their abdomens and started to fan their wings, which told me that the queen was with them. Raising their abdomen exposes their Nasonov gland, releasing the attractive Nasonov pheromone to draw the rest of the swarm home. “Here we are!” the pheromone says. Meanwhile I used a empty feeder to scoop up more and more of the bees from the branch. Eventually only a hard-core group of irritable bees remained up on the tree, their indignant buzzing indicating their displeasure at their queen suddenly going missing. They clung desperately to the branch, which must have smelled like home to them, having being scented by their queen and fellow bees.
It was growing dark, so we positioned the hive in a corner of Tom and Carol’s garden and Tom dropped me back home. Today Tom collected the last few stubborn stragglers from the tree and put them in the hive with their sisters. I hope they are happy in their new home, and that all my readers have swarms coming their way too – if you want them, that is.
Oni in a bee suit, photo by Alan Law
Adventuresinbeeland's Blog 
Yay! Congrats on the swarm and glad to hear you have bees. I don’t think I’m brave enough to put my hand in a swarm yet… maybe someday.
A nice tale.
LikeLike
I’m sure you would be brave enough, if you had to be. I did have thin gloves on, since reading on theapiarist.org (great blog) that gloves protect the bees from any chemicals you might have on your hands. And they were a peaceful swarm, it’s not like they were pinging off me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So excited for you! And your first swarm too! Awesome isn’t it?
LikeLike
Amazing! Magical creatures.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on your swarm!
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂
LikeLike
Congratulations on being “beeful” again!
LikeLike
So much better than beeless 🙂
LikeLike
Catching/collecting a swarm is my favorite way to get bees! I’ve only done it twice, but it’s kind of addicting. This past May I got a “leftover” swarm (another beekeeper collected it two days prior but there were a lot of bees still swarmed at the spot. I got them into a box and brought them home. I think the first beekeeper probably got the queen, so after a week I added a frame of eggs from my other hive and am hoping they were able to make a queen (weather’s been too icky on the days I’ve had time to inspect, so I don’t know yet). Good luck with your swarm!
LikeLike
It is a bit addictive, isn’t it? I want to do it again!
Sounds like the first beekeeper took the swarm away too early, perhaps they didn’t have time to wait till nightfall. Good for you though! Hope they make a queen for you.
LikeLike
Interesting read and glad you got yourself some bees.
LikeLike
Thanks… you’ll be beekeeping too one of these days. Great excuse to take even more photos.
LikeLike
I’m not sure about that . . . it sounds neat, but it also seems there’s a lot of socializing involved. Plus, a fair amount of worry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah! Fantastic 🙂
Thomas & I collected a swarm off the Great West Road in Brentford yesterday, Thomas arrived first and had it all under control by the time I got there!
Only a small swarm, but beautiful bees and a very elegant queen, I’ve got them at home in a nuc and hope that they are happy (and stay there), fingers crossed that the queen is well mated, if not now then soon…
LikeLiked by 1 person
How lovely! A busy location for a swarm.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love putting my hand into a swarm: all warm and tickly like a nest of kittens! I once did so at the Eden Project where there was a swarm near the Cone (Core?). They’d roped off the area but I went in anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A nest of kittens – that is a good description for it. People don’t realise how soft and hairy bees are.
LikeLike
A lovely story Emily, congratulations on your new bees! And thanks for the links…your brother in law is a brilliant photographer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed his photos!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful story. Inspiring me as always to learn bee keeping. Thank you,
Lizzy S
LikeLike
Thanks very much Lizzy 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have not heard any bee tales from yourself in quite a while. Now that you have some bees maybe you might provide more of your bee adventures
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Liam, I hope to write more now that I have some bees to look after again! This weekend I’m going on a Bee health day so maybes I’ll write about that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicely written Emily, look forward to more!
LikeLike
Thanks Ray 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations! There is something otherwordly about seeing a swarm clustered out in the open. We were tempted but not brave enough to touch ours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is something special about them all hanging there holding on to each other like knitting, not a sight you see every day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Knitting that strangely flows. Did you see any waggle-dancers on the surface?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really fine that you have bees again Emily. I hope they stay. Yesterday I put the bees that were in the narrow nuc. into a normal einrambeute. Looks today as though they are in agreement with the extra space. They seemed to be flying in a normal pattern when I sat and “watched the hive entance”
Cool that so many of your family are so enthusiastic in helping you with bees. They can work in that way. I’m still waiting for my son to want a bee family in his own garden…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Einraumbeute’ – what a great name. I had a look at some online and they look fun. I do hope Tommy keeps his enthusiasm for bees and animals as he grows up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! What a stroke of luck. Good luck with your newly occupied hive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was indeed! Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad to hear your have your bees. They are bound to be a very special colony having chosen to come to you! Swarms are so exciting. Amelia
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw the queen today – she’s a lovely slim but long dark queen. Very happy to have seen her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done, great team effort!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, it certainly was! I like the look of your blog and have begun following you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What an exciting story and how interesting to be able to put your hand into the swarm and feel the bees.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Philip. I went and checked on the bees today and transferred a few more stilling clinging to the tree over to the hive. There are about four poor little bees on the tree still, it is tricky indeed to get them all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I found with the one I collected last year no matter how many stragglers I picked up more would appear and start buzzing round. A couple of days later I realised there must be a scent mark or something attracting more bees to that spot. After giving the branches a good spray with the hosepipe they all went home.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great tip Mike, thank you! I smoked the tree when I collected the swarm to try to mask the pheromone, but that obviously wasn’t enough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great, you have bees again! lad to see the whole family rally around. One question: were you not able to lop off the branch? A lot of shaking can kind of annoy the bees…
LikeLike
It was quite a thick branch. My father-in-law did offer to, but I didn’t want to hurt the tree. The branch wouldn’t move much, so the bees were pretty unbothered by the slow shaking!
LikeLiked by 1 person