Swarming

[BkpScott]

Well, seems like the board has been a bit quiet lately. Here is some info/food for thought/warning. It looks like swarming season will be upon us quicker than it ever has for as long as I have kept bees. Grant Gillard, President of the MSBA returned home Saturday from the MSBA meeting, and got a call about a swarm in Cape Girardeau. That has to be the earliest swarm I can ever remember hearing of one. The earliest one I had ever seen was late March. NOW is the time to act. Equalize colonies, switch boxes, give them room by checkerboarding or adding drawn comb. Drawn comb is always best, but foundation will help. Preventing swarming is so much easier than stopping it one the bees make up their minds.

[MiArmada]

I started working my hives yesterday. I found them heavy with bees and honey. I pulled three deeps of full frames of honey out of 15 hives. I reversed boxes and replaced the frames of honey with frames of open comb. There were also capped and emerging drones in all the hives. The bees were going in and out like crazy. I saw signs of a significant amount of fresh honey in most of the hives. If the weather stays like this I would say the spring flow is on. I will be working hives again today. My bees are in Lincoln & Pike Counties. I have Russian/Swarm mix bees that are normally slow starters, but them are going to town. I could see swarms starting here in just a few weeks?