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Sailchearnach

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Commenced:	01/01/1995
Submitted:	24/05/2012
Last updated:	15/10/2021
Location:	Clogher, Kilfenora, Co. Clare, IE
Climate zone:	Cool Temperate

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Sailchearnach

Kilfenora, IE

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The Bees Knees

Project: Sailchearnach

Posted by Ute Bohnsack almost 13 years ago

Our new Warré beehive has finally been populated... twice!

At long last we got a swarm from the old "National" broodbox that had sat empty for several years and had been adopted as its home by a natural (feral?) swarm last year.

This is what we found in one of our apple trees on Monday afternoon, only a few metres from the old hive:

This may or may not be a prime swarm, i.e. with the old mated queen from the other hive.

In the evening we transfered the swarm into the prepared Warré hive (for info on this bee-friendly approach to beekeeping see http://warre.biobees.com/ and http://naturalbeekeeping.com.au/warrebeehives.html).

To our surprise we found another swarm, an afterswarm ("cast"), in the exact same spot on Wednesday. We cobbled together another hive using the two other, as yet spare, Warré boxes, a spare Warré floor and a roof of an unused National hive. Next week it'll get a proper Warré roof.

Both swarms appear to have settled in fine and are working away in between the rain showers of which we had far too many this month. This month has been the wettest June on record, with 6.5 inches of rain, i.e. three times the normal rainfall in our area. And it's cold too ...

Here are the two new hives - the proper Warré with its initial two boxes on the left, the one we cobbled together on the right.

Day 3 in the new hive (video on Flickr): http://www.flickr.com/photos/31018621@N00/7475428574/

We are well chuffed. From one hive to three in 3 days! And so our adventure with sustainable bee-keeping begins.

Comments (4)

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Claudia Dallek : Good to see the bees are swarming, am waiting for the bees in a neighbour's roof to do the same. But it has been very wet here (West Cork). Did yours swarm regardless of rain or did they wait for an opportune moment?

Posted almost 13 years ago

Alexandra Berendt : Wow the swarm in the tree looks amazing! I know nothing about bees but am looking to do a course in November. I have to admit, though, their behaviour is very intricate and fascinating from what I can see! Can't wait to do the course and hopefully get a hive also!

Posted almost 13 years ago

Ute Bohnsack : @Claudia: It's been very wet here too but I think you guys in Cork got hit even worse last week! The bees did indeed wait for an opportune moment: the first bunch probably swarmed on Sunday 23/6 (I had heard a loud buzz coming from the orchard but couldn't see a swarm - it was probably shortly after that they settled in the tree and stayed overnight). The weather on Sunday was good, overcast but dry and warmish, same on Monday. It was also dry for the second swarm. Today would be a good day - I'd check the vicinity. Yesterday afternoon, during a brief sunny spell, I had the pleasure of seeing the (virgin) queen of Hive #2 return from her mating flight! @Alexandra: Yes, they are absolutely fascinating. We know so much about them and yet we know so little! Here is a wonderful lecture by Prof. Seeley from Cornell Univ. on how swarm bees make collective decisions on where to move set up home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnnjY823e-w&feature=related

Posted almost 13 years ago

Alexandra Berendt : Thanks! :)

Posted almost 13 years ago

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