Our First Free Bees of 2024! 

Thanks so much for the kind words. Let us know how swarm season goes for you. We'd love to hear what works and what doesn't in your area. We're still learning, too.

Thank you!!

Thanks, Wes! We were really lucky to catch them in the process of moving in. Take a look at the comment below from lambbrookfarm about using a French cleat to mount the swarm boxes. Roy is thinking about trying that on a couple when swarm season is over. Several of our boxes need some TLC, and that would be a good time to try a different mounting system. Similar to the brackets we currently use, once the cleat is attached to the tree level, we wouldn't have to worry about that again. Maybe getting them plum every time.

Thanks for watching!

It really was very cool.

The timing was pretty incredible. And I just happened to go out in the yard when it was going on. Thanks for watching!

Spring is coming - just gotta be patient. Hang in there.

It's been a busy week for us here in central NC. We just caught our third swarm today. That makes three swarms in the last four days. Crazy!!

I still can't believe I happened to go out there at the exact time that the bees were swarming in. It was truly amazing to stand there with them buzzing all around us. Thanks for your continued support of our little channel. We really appreciate your kind words.

Thanks! As we put boxes up in new locations, we are moving them closer to the ground.

Thanks for those kind words. We really appreciate you watching our videos and for taking the time to comment. That helps boost our channel. And, I'll be more careful to avoid being underneath the boxes. Thanks again!

Awesome!

Roy has worked on ladders for many years and is very comfortable up there. He used a 40' ladder to put an antenna in a tree for our ham radio. That one made me REALLY nervous.

Putting them up on a ladder is one thing. Taking them down when heavy with bees and nectar is quite another. After my first year I mount them at eye level. I can't see a difference in the success rate.

At 11:50 there appears to be a virgin queen trying to get in but they are not letting her.

@rtxhoneybees Yeah, we are seeing people be successful putting them lower. We had read the books and were following the suggestions of the 'experts'. We were going 'by the book' so to speak. Now that we have old brood comb to put in the swarm boxes along with the propolis and lemongrass essential oil, and the swarm traps have actually had bees in them before, the height doesn't seem to be as important as when the boxes were brand new. Wes over at Secure Acres has caught swarms by baiting actual hive boxes and had a swarm just move into the hive sitting on a short stand. It all seems to come down to what's available to the bees when they decide to swarm.

There are licensing requirements in North Carolina for selling honey or bees, and we're just not interested in moving in that direction. Apiculture can be a great way to suppliment income, but that would probably require us to use Langstroth equipment and employ traditional beekeeping methods. It would be a job, and we're just not interested in that right now. This is just a relaxing hobby for us, so we're keeping things simple. We often go out to our hives and just sit on a bench to watch the bees go about their business. Friends that have allowed us to put hives on their properties have put benches near their hives and do the same. But thanks for the suggestion. That would be a great idea if we were trying to make a business here.

We are learning the same thing. It seems to be a matter of having a swarm box located wherever the bees are looking to land. We think the key for us is having some old brood comb in the swarm box to entice the scout bees.

Roy really likes the french cleat idea and has seen videos of others using them. He may try that on a couple of boxes. It's just hard to change something that's working. As we take down boxes that DON'T get swarms and move them, we're placing them closer to the ground. We are learning, as many have commented, they don't have to be that high to catch bees. Even though Roy doesn't mind the heights, the French cleat attachment looks like a much easier method. Thanks for the suggestion, Brice!

I don't think you will regret it. I recently saw an improvement in the basic design, I will try to find it and send you the link. @@randsbees

That would be great. Thanks so much!