An old saying goes, "A swarm in May is worth a load of hay."
On Saturday, a swarm of honeybees left one of Howell Farm's hives and settled on a nearby tree branch overhanging the creek. (Bees swarm when their colonies are doing well and they've run out of room for honey and new workers.) Fortunately, swarms are very docile, as the bees gorge themselves on honey before leaving home. Farmer Gary placed an empty hive beneath the swarm -- halfway in the creek -- climbed a ladder, and sawed off the tree branch until the swarm settled into the new hive. After giving the swarm some time to settle, he moved the hive a few miles down the road to the location of Howell Farm's workshop. The idea behind moving the swarm away from the old hive is that the bees will get used to their new home--they can become confused if their new hive is too close to their old hive. After a few days, once the swarm is acclimated, the hive will be moved back to Howell Farm.
On Saturday, a swarm of honeybees left one of Howell Farm's hives and settled on a nearby tree branch overhanging the creek. (Bees swarm when their colonies are doing well and they've run out of room for honey and new workers.) Fortunately, swarms are very docile, as the bees gorge themselves on honey before leaving home. Farmer Gary placed an empty hive beneath the swarm -- halfway in the creek -- climbed a ladder, and sawed off the tree branch until the swarm settled into the new hive. After giving the swarm some time to settle, he moved the hive a few miles down the road to the location of Howell Farm's workshop. The idea behind moving the swarm away from the old hive is that the bees will get used to their new home--they can become confused if their new hive is too close to their old hive. After a few days, once the swarm is acclimated, the hive will be moved back to Howell Farm.
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