swarm-list Mailing List: Re: Oakland Dimond District Swarm

[Gerald Przybylski (gtp000000]

    Hi,
    Based on your Sheffield & MacArthur vs. Maple & Carmel, I
    doubt they are a swarm from your hive. 
    Sorry you didn't get it either.  Our beek was aced out by someone
    from down-the-street. 
    Notice went out on nextdoor, so too much visibility.
    
    As for a strong colony "swarming away," Yes, they can do that. 
    Were you on vacation during the past two weeks? 
    A "Vacation Split" is a good idea if your colony MIGHT swarm while
    you're out of town.  It's just a "walk-away" split 
    or something more sophisticated if you are aiming for a better
    outcome. It's about anticipating your bees
    based on colony strength, and what you know about how they expand. 
    
    How often have you been inspecting?  
    Have you been doing manipulations aimed at blunting the urge to
    swarm?  Yes, that's a thing. 
    To stay on top of them you need to either head them off or watch
    them like a hawk.  
    Under the right circumstances, you can go from No-swarm-cells at one
    inspection to a swarm leaving five or six days later. 
    Weekly inspections are usually enough. 
    
    I can suggest a couple of booklets you can read. They're on the
    website of the Welsh Beekeeper Association. 
    https://wbka.com/wbka-publications/
    There are three or four in the right-most column that will influence
    your spring management in useful ways. 
    The first one for new beekeepers may be a bit less useful since they
    have a real winter in Wales.  Shifts in the calendar, and stuff that
    doesn't apply here. 
    Preemptive swarm control is important. So is reacting to finding
    queen cells.  
    
    If you have the time, join the Local Bee Initiative meetings on the
    4th Monday. They're in San Leandro near the 238 freeway and the
    880. 
    People discussing advanced topics. 
    
    jerry

On 6/2/26 4:14 PM, Andrew Westbury via swarm-list wrote:

Hi Gabriel and Eva,

I am a Dimond District beekeeper and my large colony just swarmed in its entirety a few days ago. I don’t know the location of this swarm but they could be the same bees. We are on Sheffield and MacArthur. If that seems close, I would love to talk. My number is 202-213-8540. Unfortunately I am traveling this week but my partners are around in Oakland. 

All the best

Drew 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 2, 2026, at 4:09 PM, Gabriel Harber via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:

 Claim to Eva.  Info shortly.

-Gabriel

——————————

If you have collected a swarm in the last 24 hours, please wait 5 minutes before making a claim.

Safety first!  Happy catching.
Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.

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On Jun 2, 2026, at 3:07 PM, Eva Kersey <eva.kersey [at] gmail.com> wrote:

I can get it. 

Eva

925-324-3740

On Tue, Jun 2, 2026, 2:52 PM Gabriel Harber via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:

Big swarm about 8 feet off the ground in tree in the Dimond District.

<IMG_1546.jpeg><IMG_1545.jpeg>

-Gabriel

510-967-6244

——————————

If you have collected a swarm in the last 24 hours, please wait 5 minutes before making a claim.

Safety first!  Happy catching.
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/>.

<IMG_1545.jpeg><IMG_1546.jpeg><IMG_1546.jpeg><IMG_1545.jpeg>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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/>.