Honeybee Swarm Season! What to look for.

Just a reminder that it's swarm season, so if you see a swarm of honeybees hanging off a tree limb or other structure, please call a beekeeper. (Please do not spray them, and any reputable exterminator should not kill them.)

A swarm looks like a group or ball of bees. I'm attaching a photo I stole off another thread of a swarm we nabbed from @soorlady a few years ago. (Here's the original thread, with photos of the swarm catching: http://forum.maplewoodonline.com//discussion/comment/2235831#Comment_2235831)

If you see a papery nest, those are wasps, and anything that is in the ground is not a honeybee. Sorry, we can't help with those!

My husband, Andy, can collect swarms and you can reach him at 908 868 4588 or andrewkielich@gmail.com. You can also ping me here and I can contact him or another local beekeeper, or call me at 917 734 3378.

And here's the list of people who also catch swarms: http://cjba.njbeekeepers.org/swarmremoval.html#EssexCounty

What are the ones in the ground? I have tons of those, from around noon to afternoon I RUN across the front lawn in fear of being attacked grin

Here's some info on ground bees: http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/p/Ground-Bees.htm

thank you, that is informative and good to know the bees are friendly. I do have bumble bees too living around a stone wall in the back, but I rarely go there so not too worried about them.

Thanks for not killing them off! They're pollinators and important to the environment.

Kinda off topic, but I just read this article on honey being sold at stores not being pure honey!

http://www.boston.com/health/2014/04/08/sticky-switcheroo-fda-cracks-down-honey-labeling/Gj1lfcTYQSPyBDxsEzpCPN/story.html

"Companies have been selling sugary, sticky honey blends on grocery store shelves for years, adding syrups or sweeteners not made naturally by bees, but hiding their fraud on the packaging under the label “honey.” This food fraud also applies to foods that list “honey” as an ingredient. You might not be getting the real thing."

This completely surprised me, but now that I think about it it really shouldn't have. I know you're our resident bee keeper, so any idea on where to get local honey this time of year?

Yes, it's completely shady, right? Large companies will also import Chinese honey through Canada so it's not identified as Chinese honey (in China, they can use treatments not approved in the US, and this also got around a high tariff) http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-19/how-germany-s-alw-got-busted-for-the-largest-food-fraud-in-u-dot-s-dot-history

Our hives made it through the winter like gangbusters this year (YAY!) and we may do an early extraction when the dandelions bloom. Normally, we don't extract until July.

But someone with a larger operation than ours (i.e., professional beekeeper rather than a hobbyist), like Joe Lelinho http://hilltophoneyllc.com/ is your best bet this time of year. Tell Joe I sent you. He'd be my #1 pick to buy from.

Tassot also sells at a few local farmers' markets (definitely Summit, and I know there's a beekeeper who goes to Montclair, but I can't remember who). And I've seen relatively local honey in the produce section of Shop Rite in Millburn (Main St), but it's all crystallized. That doesn't affect anything except its pourability. Here's a list from the NJBS: http://www.njbeekeepers.org/BeeProducts.htm

Thanks for the info!

When you say ground bees, are they different from ground wasps? Those have stung me quite a few times.

At least one of the stands at the Maplewood farmers market usually has honey and that's where I usually stock up. I hope they are trustworthy.

Tom_Reingold said:

When you say ground bees, are they different from ground wasps? Those have stung me quite a few times.

Yes, some wasps do live in the ground, but they're different than bees.

sac said:

At least one of the stands at the Maplewood farmers market usually has honey and that's where I usually stock up. I hope they are trustworthy.

I would hope most local, small-scale producers would be legit, but I can't speak about a beekeeper who I don't know. A good rule of thumb: There's no such thing as cheap honey.

Anyone who wants delicious local honey before annemarie's next extraction, could try Joe Lelinho at Hilltop Honey. I can vouch for the deliciousness of his honey, and a more trusted source of local honey can not be found. The man literally smells like honey whenever I've met with him!

He's usually been willing to deliver me my honey to my house in W. Orange, but I buy more than a jar at a time (I give his homemade beeswax candles and a jar of honey to my kids' favorite teachers each year at the holidays.)

http://hilltophoneyllc.com/products.htm

@annemarie, sorry I'm new here, but do you sell honey from your bees? I would love some 'super local' raw honey as I hear it is great for allergy sufferers like myself grin

Hi @seaweed. Welcome! We do. You can email me at yellowdoghoney@gmail.com and I'll put you on the list for when we have honey ready. We basically sell enough to break even for the upkeep of the bees, so I don't check that email unless we have a batch to sell. If you need me sooner or have questions, best to hit me up on MOL.

Thanks @annemarie! just sent you an email to put me on the list!

annemarie said:

sac said:

At least one of the stands at the Maplewood farmers market usually has honey and that's where I usually stock up. I hope they are trustworthy.
I would hope most local, small-scale producers would be legit, but I can't speak about a beekeeper who I don't know. A good rule of thumb: There's no such thing as cheap honey.
I have no idea if they are 'cheap' or not. I haven't even looked at grocery store honey prices in years. I buy it there because I assumed it to be 'natural' and it tastes good.

That's good! I'm sure whoever is selling there is on the up-and-up, since most people don't use farmers' markets as a get-rich-quick scheme! My point with the cheap comment is that if it's cheap at a grocery store, it's likely hunee or honeeeey, but it's not pure honey (the FDA just changed labeling laws so that any adulterated honey must be labeled as such).

Tassot. It is a short drive and if you have concerns about fresh, take a look at the hives for yourself. They are just abuzzzz about making the honey for you.

Just bumping this in case you see any of our honeybee friends this weekend.

Swarm season is definitely upon us. I got 3 calls this weekend for honeybees in structures. We don't do that kind of removal (not all beekeepers do, since it's pretty specialized and often involves demolition). All three people called exterminators, and all three had them identified as honeybees. I'm externally grateful for the honest exterminators out there who didn't just kill them on the spot (one of whom I know for sure was Jerry Buckingham. I've never met him, but from all I've heard, he's pretty fantastic).

If you suspect you have honeybees in the structure of a building, here's a list of beekeepers you can contact. But considering how many calls I've been getting, I'd assume they're extra busy. (My recommendation would be to send a detailed email, with photos, to every person on the list who says they can remove from structures.) http://cjba.njbeekeepers.org/swarmremoval.html

I'm on that list too, and we'll remove swarms that are like the ones pictured above, hanging from a tree limb or otherwise outside of a structure, in case you see one of those.

@annemarie I've been contemplating the start up of a hive on my property. Wondering if it's too late in the season, should I wait until next year? I was thinking of going with something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Bee-Hive-Unassembled-Easy---lift/dp/B0083WGIV2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401704419&sr=8-2&keywords=bee+hive+kits

I not looking to harvest any honey any time soon, I know they need to be well established. Just don't know if I've waited too long to get started. Any advice?

You can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Better to wait until you can take a course. Rutgers extension offers one (twice a year, I think. I took the one that ran in Oct years back) and the Essex County Beekeepers Society runs one in Feb. You should also join and start attending meetings of your local society (most counties have one).

As far as what to buy, I'm assuming at that price, the Amazon stuff is cheaply made. With your gear especially (smoker, veil, gloves), you'll want something that is going to last. Every beekeeping supply company sells a starter kit if that's what you're looking for.

This is an expensive hobby. Even if you sell your honey, you will never make back what you put into it. But it's totally addictive and fun. Happy to answer any other Qs off this thread.

Does there seem to be more bees this year? I'm noticing quite a lot around my property so far this spring... Carpenter bees, little bees hanging around my strawberries, other bees in the rhododendron, ground bees? one wasp in my basement (yikes!!) my son is terrified of bees since he was stung last summer, so I am trying to remain in peaceful coexistence as long as we can- hopefully the whole summer..

Resurrecting this thread because it is once again swarm season (spring) so keep an eye out for our honeybee friends. If you think you see a swarm, call me at 917 734 3378. 


Bump! Keep an eye out for swarms and if you see one, give me a call 917 734 3378! 


BUMP! It is once again swarm season!



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