# Small bee swarm 10/03/16



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

Got a call today for a softball sized swarm of bees less than 1 1/2 miles from my house. They were on a small maple tree about 3' off the ground.

I went ahead and got them and will add them to one of my hives.

I'll have to check and see if there is actually a queen there, or if there was a larger swarm there that left and these are the scouts that were out looking for a new home.


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

I believe I heard a small swarm fly by today myself.


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## Steve in PA (Nov 25, 2011)

This extended warm season is messing up everything. If I didn't keep records of things like "first time the heat was turned on" I wouldn't know it. 

My hives haven't even kicked out the drones yet.


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

I opened the hive yesterday to see if there was a queen. I couldn't find her.

I now suspect there was a swarm there and it left, and these were the scouts out searching for a new home. I just added the bees to an existing hive.


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## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

Are your hives full of brood this time of year? Mine are not, Bees swarm in the spring for a reason. Often these are not late swarms but absconding bees. They left their hive for a reason, robbing, overtaken by hive beetle, mites or ??? On the gulf coast they have a saying a swarm in July let it fly. I grab them any way but the nectar flow is over. I pull my swarm boxes around June 1 here.


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