Ha,ha, did you remember to tell them you would be talking to your son? They
like to be told these things, I’ve heard.
Mary Baker, mary@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 2 May 2022, at 17:41, Helen Nunn <helenmaynunn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all
I'll tell you what they do as well - choose the most inconvenient moment to
swarm. This afternoon we had a skype call planned with our son in Nairobi,
then unexpected visitors came so I put on the kettle for tea, and that's when
the call came that there was a swarm on our allotment. Another beekeeper was
going home for his kit, so we politely did the tea party and cancelled the
skype call, then off up the road - and the swarm had gone!
But oddly enough there were about four small groups of bees left clustering -
on various posts inside someone's newly constructed fruit cage. (I'm quite
glad they disappeared as it would have been a tricky catch.) The other
beekeeper thought they must be from our hives, as he's just starting up and
has only a nucleus brought three weeks ago.
Only the bees know.
Helen
On Mon, 2 May 2022 at 14:40, Barbara Elizabeth Robinson
<liz20swan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all. So I am just trying to explain about swarming to someone good at
asking tricky questions!
I understand that the old queen is not fed for 3 days prior to swarming to
enable her to be light enough to fly. How do the bees know that in 3 days
time the weather will suit swarming? So my bees swarmed on Saturday which
was perfect swarm weather. Are the bees that good that they predicted the
fine weather 3 days hence? Would they have swarmed if it was cold and wet? I
think not.
Any help would be appreciated.
Liz.
