Swarm come and go, and get in traps and leave traps and can be high in trees or on low branches and bushes. I have even had swarms on the ground. It is all lively,fluid and exciting times.
First Swarm of the season
This was a huge one. It came to one of the traps I had, while I was at work. It looked like it was going to settle in there, but by the early evening it had left. Oh well - all good. I have more hives than I need.
Second swarm
As I was walking through the backyard I noticed this swarm up on the fig tree in front of the apiary.
A a significant swarm of bees clustered on branches of our fig tree.
A beehive with a wooden ramp covered in bees on green grass. You can see the bees fanning to send out the queen pheromones so the other bees know where to go.
Eventually I got most of the bees in there. Time will tell if they will stay or leave.
It is fascinating to see how the bees line up pointing towards the entrance where the queen is. This is a good sign that I got the queen when I shook the swarm in the bucket and after I dumped them in the hive box.
Went to the trap on top of the garage cover but eventually left. :(
Went to the top of the fig tree. Managed to catch it with a bucket.