My first swarm...

Today I caught my first swarm! I had some friends over for a picnic and so I had an audience too! We had just been down to look at my own hives so I know the swarm wasn't from my own hives which looked fine. We walked back up the hill from my hives and I was walking over to admire a Lily that had flowered when I saw something flying around by a flowering bush....as I got closer I realised there was lots of things flying around! Then I realised it was a swarm! A Honeybee swarm! OMG!!!

I couldn't believe it - this swarm was less than 10 metres from my front door! How wonderful! Imagine a honeybee swarm choosing to settle so close to a beekeepers front door! How perfect is that?

I got a few things together - a box, a sheet and some sharp scissors, put my veil and gloves on and then sat beside the swarm and cut the branches off and placed them in the box.

I scooped up the bees on the ground and placed them in the box or on the sheet and then closed the lid leaving a gap just big enough for the bees to get in and out.

I placed a feeder can of syrup in the box and also placed two frames in the box that I sprayed with syrup. (when I checked on them later the frames were covered with very happy looking bees by the way)

A thunderstorm came in this evening and by this time all the bees had entered the box and none were flying around any more. It isn't a stable box at all so we couldn't leave it out for the storm so we carried it to the workshop and its in there is the dry and shelter. The bees can get in and out but they seem quite happy in there so I don't think they're going to leave.....they have syrup and they have frames. What more would bees want??? ;)

I know I didn't do things perfectly.....I wasn't prepared at all lol - it was totally unexpected....I got one sting (which didn't hurt at all lol...maybe it was all the adrenaline running through me lol)! But I was so excited and so thrilled and I did my best and I was happy to do it :)

I'm glad I got to share the experience with friends - I'm glad Chris was here to film it for me. I'm glad I was home to find the swarm. I'm so glad I got to experience yet another part of beekeeping :) It truly was a wonderful thing to find and a wonderful thing to experience and I am thrilled to have three hives - two from packages and one from a swarm.

And yes, as Cori has reminded me, now I need to think of another name!!! Flora, Fauna and.........any ideas????