swarm move in or robbing?

[Marie Trest]

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced robbing lately? with the linden/basswoods blooming, it seems like there should be plenty of forage right now. I had a hive die out and have left it in place in the unlikely event a swarm could move in. As I was cutting back an overgrown patch of lemon balm a couple feet from the hive yesterday, a couple bees flew in the area. Then from 6:45-7:15pm, when I had to leave, a huge cloud of bees was in the yard with more and more arriving and entering the hive. I did not see a cluster anywhere and could not decide if they were robbing what was left or moving in. There were a few bees on the outside of the hive when I came back well after dark. This morning there are many bees coming and going, looks like a busy summer hive, but I suppose it could be robbing. If you have a swarm move in, do you wait to inspect, for the queen to start laying? What would you do? 

Thank you, the helpful advice from on this list from so many experienced beekeepers is much appreciated!

Marie

[Joseph Bessetti]

That sounds like it was a swarm moving in.  Congratulations! 
 
I would give them 1-2 weeks to feel at home and then inspect.  If the swarm has a virgin queen she might need about 2 weeks to get mated and start laying.
 
Joe
 

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Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 09:36:50 -0500
Subject: [madbees] swarm move in or robbing?
From: mtt...@gmail.com
To: mad...@googlegroups.com

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced robbing lately? with the linden/basswoods blooming, it seems like there should be plenty of forage right now. I had a hive die out and have left it in place in the unlikely event a swarm could move in. As I was cutting back an overgrown patch of lemon balm a couple feet from the hive yesterday, a couple bees flew in the area. Then from 6:45-7:15pm, when I had to leave, a huge cloud of bees was in the yard with more and more arriving and entering the hive. I did not see a cluster anywhere and could not decide if they were robbing what was left or moving in. There were a few bees on the outside of the hive when I came back well after dark. This morning there are many bees coming and going, looks like a busy summer hive, but I suppose it could be robbing. If you have a swarm move in, do you wait to inspect, for the queen to start laying? What would you do? 

Thank you, the helpful advice from on this list from so many experienced beekeepers is much appreciated!

Marie

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[jeanne hansen]

Patience is a virtue, but with a possible swarm-move-in, it is alway possible to lift off the inner cover and see if bees are clustered inside.   That kind of quick inspection can do no harm.

 

Thanks!
Jeanne Hansen
824 Jacobson Ave
Madison, WI 53714
608-244-5094

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From: Joseph Bessetti <jbes...@hotmail.com>
To: "mad...@googlegroups.com" <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 10:41 AM
Subject: RE: [madbees] swarm move in or robbing?

[Albert Gunther]

Having recently experienced the same thing (turned out to be a genuine swarm), I've been wondering if there are other diagnostics.

For example, would robbing bees NOT bring in pollen? (and, in that same vein, are foragers even aware when they have pollen loads?)

Can you tell bec the stack of boxes is just getting lighter, instead of heavier (my swarm has already stashed a load of new nectar)?

Or anything else?

Albert C. Gunther, Professor
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
821 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53706

[Joseph Bessetti]

Yes, if bees are bringing pollen to the hive, that's a great sign.
 
You can also look for guard bees at the entrances.
 
The behavior of robber bees as they fly to the hive and enter is different too, but that is more subtle to pick up on. 
 
If it's just robbers, they will typically clear out for the overnight (the hive will be nearly empty; a hive with a colony will have a hum to it)  and then start back up in earnest the next morning, well before most other hives are starting to send out foragers.  If the robbers happen to be one of your own hives you can usually figure out which ones are doing the robbing by looking for foragers coming and going early in the morning.
 
Regards,
 
Joe
 
 
 

 

---

From: agun...@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 13:41:59 -0500
Subject: Re: [madbees] swarm move in or robbing?
To: mad...@googlegroups.com

[Paul Zelenski]

Once you get the hang of it, it should be easy to tell. Robbers act completely different than bees that live there. Also, pollen is a sure sign. No bees will be bringing food to the hive unless they live there. They also won't be there at night or protect the hive. They will simply get in, grab as much honey as they can and leave. 

[Greg V]

Why this does not happen to me??!!

A simple test - just knock the hive on the side late evening and listen.
If a swarm - there will be a solid humming of about 30-50K of bees as a response.


On Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 9:36:50 AM UTC-5, Marie wrote:

..........If you have a swarm move in, do you wait to inspect, for the queen to start laying? What would you do? 

[Marie Trest]

Though I still haven't seen any pollen come in, they did stay the night, so they appear to be new long term residents. I don't know whose hives they came from, but thanks!

Best,

Marie

[Randy Deering]

Marie, we had our hive swarm on us. It's located by HyVee on East Wash. I'm hoping the girls found a home.

--

Randy

[Marie Trest]

I'm on the near west side. There are at least 3 other beekeepers in the neighborhood plus Mad Urban Bees may still have host sites in the area. I should put out some more boxes with crushed lemon balm :)

[Albert Gunther]

Where are you Marie? There's a little West side cluster of us near West HS and the Hillington Green triangle park.

[mike yohn]

Crushed lemon balm ? What is it and what does it do for the bees. If you don't mind me asking . 

Sent from my iPhone

[Marie Trest]

Recent list posts suggested adding lemon grass oil to bait hives as an attractant. Shortly before my swarm moved in, I was removing lemon balm from near the hive - maybe that served in a similar way?

[Greg V]

This lemon grass aroma is fine - but did not help me yet.
I hear the used comb (the older the better) in the swarm trap hives comes ahead of the lemon every time.

But if the location is bad, none of this matters.

[Walt]

>> "Lemon Grass oil has high concentration of citral and related compounds such as geraniol. These are all simple organic chains with distinct odors. Citral is a component of worker bees pheromone released by the Nasonov gland on the upper surface on the last segment of the abdomen." >> http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?320728-Theory-behind-Lemon-Grass-oil > My nose isn't as keen as it used to be but there is a slight lemony smell from a package of bees. 

On Wednesday, June 29, 2016 at 9:19:18 AM UTC-5, mike yohn wrote:

Crushed lemon balm ? What is it and what does it do for the bees. If you don't mind me asking . 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 29, 2016, at 9:06 AM, Marie Trest <mtt...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm on the near west side. There are at least 3 other beekeepers in the neighborhood plus Mad Urban Bees may still have host sites in the area. I should put out some more boxes with crushed lemon balm :)

On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, Randy Deering <rdeer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Marie, we had our hive swarm on us. It's located by HyVee on East Wash. I'm hoping the girls found a home.

On Wed, Jun 29, 2016 at 8:41 AM, Marie Trest <mtt...@gmail.com> wrote:

Though I still haven't seen any pollen come in, they did stay the night, so they appear to be new long term residents. I don't know whose hives they came from, but thanks!

Best,

Marie

On Tuesday, June 28, 2016, Greg V <voro...@gmail.com> wrote:

Why this does not happen to me??!!

A simple test - just knock the hive on the side late evening and listen.
If a swarm - there will be a solid humming of about 30-50K of bees as a response.


On Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 9:36:50 AM UTC-5, Marie wrote:

..........If you have a swarm move in, do you wait to inspect, for the queen to start laying? What would you do? 

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