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Managing the Super Organism
Date
April 2023
China Grove/Kannapolis/Salisbury
A larger swarm found a new home amidst the hustle and bustle of the small mill town of Kannapolis, North Carolina.
A smaller one found in late May after shifting some equipment around and organizing in China Grove/Salisbury.
Catching
Saving a few
Swarming is the instinct of the honey bee and how they control their population and resources. The beekeeper may control the amount they swarm and how many by practice but occasionally a few get loose. Here we follow a few times they got ahead of us,...
One of these swarms was caught in Kannapolis, NC and established within only a few days. Drawing comb on the lid, filling it with nectar, laying eggs and filling the five frames accordingly. Estimated strength was around 25,000 to 30,000 girls.
The other, in the video, was in China Grove/Salisbury area of North Carolina and had only around 15,000 to 18,000 girls. Even though they were only in there for less than 24 hours when I recorded the footage they were able to draw the comb on the lid and started to establish the hive with no doubts.
This is a blessing to find and look forward to seeing how each one will thrive.
