One way of acquiring bees whether to replace winter losses, strengthen weak colonies or start new ones, is to collect a swarm. Primary swarms are valuable especially in late Spring as they may contain as many as 25,000 bees plus the queen. In comparison, a purchased 3-pound package will contain only about 10,500 bees. However a swarm is not usually recommended as a way for new beekeepers to get started, for several reasons. The main problem with a swarm especially for a new beekeeper is that there is no way of knowing if the bees are carrying diseases or what temperament the bees are going to have.
Going out and collecting a swarm also requires some experience of bee behavior and handling. There are three main things to consider about a swarm, these are: how long has the swarm been there, where is the swarm located, e.g is it high up in a tree and the size of the swarm. Swarms normally cluster on a tree limb, shrub, fence post, lamp post or on the side of a building. You will need to consider health and safety issues before proceeding to remove a swarm.
Try always to remove the swarm gently, disturbing the cluster as little as possible and put it directly into a hive or enclosed container (a cardboard box with a tight-fitting lid is a good solution) to transport it to a new hive or location. If the swarm cannot be cut down, either shake or scrape the bees into a lightweight box, remember the swarm can be heavy, so the box needs to be quite robust.
When a swarm settles in a very high tree or on any other inaccessible structure, it is best to leave it there. Such swarms may be an after-swarm with one or more virgin queens and their successful capture can be very difficult. Sometimes you can knock these high swarms into a bucket at the end of a long pole and then lower it to a collecting box, but this is not for the faint hearted.
Once you have successfully captured a swarm, you can introduce the swarm into your own equipment by either shaking or dumping the bees into an open hive with several frames removed or simply by shaking it in front of the hive. If you were successful in getting the queen with the rest of the swarm once she is inside the bees will adopt the hive. Using drawn combs is better than foundation when introducing swarms to an empty hive, but one or two drawn combs, preferably with pollen, brood and/or honey (from a disease-free colony), combined with foundation also works.
Some new beekeepers set up their hives and hope a passing swarm moves in; you would have to be really lucky for this to happen. However it is possible instead of waiting for swarms to simply appear to try to bait a swarm. Pheromone lures (available from beekeeping supply stores) placed in special light-weight bait hives or empty hive bodies (with or without drawn comb) can be used to lure swarms, with some success. This is probably however not a good idea if you are looking to start beekeeping and get your first colonies going, but is worth a try down the line, as one way of trying to cheaply expand your operation.
More about Acquiring and Installing Bees
Most new beekeepers now start with a nucleus colony, or nuc, of bees. A nuc is essentially a small hive in a specially designed smaller box. A nuc of bees will consist of bees in all stages of development, as well as food, a laying queen and enough workers to cover from three to five combs or frames. When placed into a full-sized hive body and given some supplemental feeding, the nuc will usually expand rapidly into a strong colony, depending of course on the time of year.
Buying established colonies is not recommended for beginners, but experienced beekeepers may find this a practical means to increase their number of bee colonies. There are a few problems associated with buying used equipment and bees, that is why it is best left to those with a bit of beekeeping experience.
Packages are sold in units that contain from one to five pounds of bees, where there are about four thousand bees in a pound. For a beginner, a three-pound package with a queen is a good starting point. Packages are shipped by mail or rail freight and are usually two to three days in transit and if the supplier knows what they are doing they will not suffer from their journey.
new or never had anything but water in it before. Alternatively you can paint the solution onto the wire, but spraying with a fine mist is the quickest way to ensure that the bees get a quick pick me up after their long journey. Usually a three pound package of bees will consume a pint or more of feed which should be given to them in four or five doses over a period of an hour or more. The bees in the package will be much more docile and easy to handle when placed in a hive if they are well fed. The package should be placed in a darkened room with an ideal temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit to settle them until you organise their new home.
line.
the candy to help the bees get started. The bees will release the queen from her cage usually within twelve hours by eating through to her. It is essential that they do not do this too quickly as it needs a few hours for them to gradually become used to her. Placed the queen cage candy end up between two frames so that the screen face of the cage is exposed to the bees, i.e facing into the middle of the two frames. Now shake the remaining bees from the package into the hive. It may be difficult to shake the last hundred or two hundred bees from the package. If the empty package is placed in front of the hive with the hole in the cage facing the hive, the bees will crawl into the hive if the weather is not too cold.
