Second swarm of 2017

4-23-17 Second swarm of 2017.

Today I found another swarm, near the same location as the first.  This swarm was large, not quite as big as a basketball.  I’m still trying to figure out where these are coming from.  All the hives here at home have marked queens, and they were still in place when checked after the first swarm was found.  Both swarms have unmarked queens.  I have a guess which hive they are from, but it’s still a mystery.

Swarm comb!

4-23-17 Swarm building comb

My first swarm has been building comb for just a few days and have built out 3 and a half frames already!  It’s amazing how fast these gals can build when they’re in this mindset.

First swarm of ’17

4-19-17 First swarm of the year.

On my return from work today, I found this little gem in a tree about 20 feet in front of my home hives.  I was able to collect them and install into a double nuc.  I gave them a frame of comb to settle on, and 3 empty frames to draw out.