# First swarm of the season!



## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

For the past 3 weeks or so, I have had two swarm traps out baited with lemon grass oil. Several times I had scouts looking around - the second time was this past weekend. The one hive had up to 20 - 30 scouts looking - so I figured it was a sure thing in that hive.

While doing yard work, I had left the barn door open, and some scouts found an old bait trap in the barn. They were also looking at an older hive just sitting there. Over the weekend, I decided to add lemon grass oil to those hives to double my chances.

By Monday or Tuesday of this week, I figured they had fooled me again. The trap with all scouts suddenly had very few. I happened to go past the older hive sitting out this afternoon, and noticed several bees coming and going - not hovering and checking the sides of the hive as a scout does. I wondered "Is it possible?"

I lifted the lid to see a small swarm. 2 frames of bees - with a small cluster on the lid building 3 little pieces of comb. As I carefully tore off the new comb - I quickly saw the big fat queen. She got down onto the frames, where I added 4 new frames - 2 undrawn - and 2 already drawn with a little bit of honey just in case they need it.

This is the first swarm I heard about - other than yesterday I got a call from a homeowner saying they had a swarm on the side of their house 30' up. I didn't even bother to waste my time. I'm too old to be climbing 30' in the air. I considered taking a bait trap to put around the house - but have never been successful - so decided they could find their new home in a hollow tree somewhere.

Nice to have a swarm come right to your house.

Summerville, PA 15864


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## Florian Collonge (Mar 27, 2020)

Wow sounds great !

Must be cool, I've seen that some times in my childhood but it was always a pain because we had to call someone to take it back.
Now, I would be really glad if a wild swarm come to sit near my house


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

We have a hive in our chimney between the exterior brick and the liner. Been there for 20 years at least from what I've heard.

It usually swarms and some of them go somewhere else. We aren't bee keepers, so we have never put out traps.

It is cool when they swarm. It sounds like a jet engine and then they are gone in a flash.


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## RonTgottagoat (Feb 27, 2014)

Great on your catch! My bee swarms have been tricky. Early I had a bee swarm move into an old dead out hive. Yay!.......but then I went off to try and get bees out of a tree that was getting cut down. They were 60 ft up in the air. My son calls telling me there was a swarm in our tree. I ran home to try and get em. They were my swarm that absconded the box. So now they are 25 feet in the air on a branch. Hmm n go grab a box and a sheet and my 12 gauge. Position the sheet under them then the box. Step back take the shot at the branch(far back from the bees). Hit the branch but doesn’t break the branch fully. Take second shot branch breaks bees fall into box. Yay right??? Not so fast they fly back up to the next branch. Unbelievable. Shoot that branch. Bees fall perfectly into the box. I put the top cover on wrap sheet around it. Thinking it’s good I go back to the bee tree house. The tree guy has the tree burning like a chimney. Bummed I go back home and yes those bees absconded. No where in sight!!!! But since then I’ve caught two other swarms that seem like they like it here. (Fingers crossed)


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Has anyone compared lemon grass oil to Swarm Commander?


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

Well, we had our first swarm of the season. A beekeeping friend just smacked them and they fell into a big tote.

He said it was one of the largest he's seen. He also has said that our hive bees are always the strongest of any he keeps.

Must be the way we completely ignore them and let them do their bee thing.


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