Swarms & Swarming Episodes

June 20, 2024

Plain Talk: A Small June Swarm (184)

In this episode, Jim Tew delves into the fascinating world of swarming behavior. Jim shares his experiences with swarms moving into winter-killed colonies, highlighting how these free bees can effectively clean up and rejuvenate old equipment. He...

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May 25, 2023

Vanishing Swarms: Now You See Them, Now You Don't! (127)

If you've been a beekeeper for any length of time and especially, after your first year in your own bee yard, you've seen a swarm, looked away to pick up something - maybe your camera, turn around and they're gone! …

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May 4, 2023

Well... It Depends - Swarms (124)

A lot of times, when somebody asks us a bee question, the best answer we can give them is, “It Depends.” In today’s episode, Kim and Jim explore the topic of Swarms. Where did it come from? Where do you …

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July 14, 2022

After The Swarm (082)

Swarm season is fun and exhilarating. Much has been written about swarms. They’ve been studied, photographed, pursued and just… watched. But what does the beekeeper do with the parent colony the next day? What do they do with the swarm …

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May 26, 2022

Dealing With Feisty Bees (075)

Jim’s beeyard is the center of attention this week, because his bees were bothering his wife and a very patient, longtime neighbor. That’s not a good thing. So, exasperated, Jim asks Kim for his ideas about all that was going …

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April 7, 2022

Adding Package Bees to Deadout Equipment (068)

This time of year, experienced and new beekeepers are receiving their packaged bees and nucs. Only a few of these packages and nucs are going home to new equipment. Many will go home to equipment left over from last year's …

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March 31, 2022

Capturing and Hiving Swarms (067)

A beekeeper's most exciting moment is undoubtedly, capturing and hiving a swarm... especially when it is someone else's bees! In today episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott - who is filling in for Kim Flottum this week - discuss capturing …

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March 24, 2022

Swarm Traps aka Bait Hives (066)

In today's episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott (who's stepping in this week for Kim Flottum) discuss their experiences using swarm traps - sometimes called "bait hives". Swarm traps are used by beekeepers to lure the scout bees looking for …

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