the funky weather mid week probably had a lot to do with it. what self respecting bee would find herself all balled up in a swarm - getting soaked. may is still a prime swarm month and i would bet at least a couple calls come in.
in the meantime, i transferred my hives from the nuc (nucleus) hives to full fledged 10 frame langstroth hives. willingly moving bees from one home to another is a challenge, but they adapt.
the apiary at this house is better planned than at my last house. i am setting the hives up on concrete pads to elevate them off the dirt. i am also using the redwood hive stands that allows me to create an ant barrier to make my apiary a 5 star resort for bees - after all i dont want them spending time chasing ants; i want all bee attention on making honey and lots of it.
the photo to the right illustrates the current layout of the three hives. the pad is for the next swarm or the nuc ordered from sac beekeeping supply.
Garry,
ReplyDeleteMy guess is you'll get another swarm or two before swarm season just isn't worth it anymore. What's the old saying? A swarm in July ain't worth a fly?" I see some good ideas at work here when I attempt this endeavour again.
Bill