swarm-list Mailing List: Re: Do your bit, pretty please!

[CHARLES CARLSON (charliec]

Hi Paula,

I think that’s a really good and strong admonition.  My (maybe simple guess) would be that about 99% of bee swarms come from beekeeping activities.  Casual observations suggests feral hives are a relatively rare occurrence in our area.  I know of exactly one (and I’m not claiming any special knowledge about them).  There are undoubtedly more, however, bottom line, I’ll guarantee the more beekeepers the more swarms.

We need better education.  As I was learning to be a beekeeper, swarming behavior was frequently pitched as that event which occurred occasionally that honey collecting and pollen collection were the things bees were interested in. In truth, everything that bees do is in fact directed at getting ready to swarm and swarming, that’s what bees do, and it’s impossible to control their behavior without direct intervention and almost constant surveillance in the months from February to August in the Bay Area. Your booming hive today is tomorrow’s swarm.

Charles

Sent from Charlie Carlson's iPad

charliec [at] icloud.com

Try me on Skype (510) 984-3543

Cell 510-499-8086

On Apr 15, 2025, at 11:13 AM, Sarah Palmer via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:



I already have a swarm but I do have another empty hive hanging around so if anyone needs to house a captured swarm, I can accept them. I have a large yard.

Sarah Palmer

palmerdive [at] gmail.com

Le dim. 13 avr. 2025 à 18:08, Paula Breen via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> a écrit :

Even if you don't want any more bees, if you're keeping these in the East Bay then you really should collect a swarm or two. It benefits everyone if we all contribute to collecting these swarms. It seems pretty early in the season to have so little interest in the swarm postings. Do it for your neighbors. Do it for people you've never met. Do it before somebody goes to town hall and starts agitating to ban bees in urban areas.  

This is a community. Let's all contribute! Intimidated? Reach out. Plenty of us are happy to coach or even meet you there. But the same 10 people cannot manage this volume of swarms. Let's GO!

<1000005559.jpg>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.

To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, to learn how
to filter these messages, or to view the archives, see:
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-list-tips/>.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.

To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, to learn how
to filter these messages, or to view the archives, see:
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-list-tips/>.