and then there were six....

I've been very happy with 5 hives for the last few weeks.  (That's my original three, plus a mini one temporarily homing an old queen to prevent her swarming, and Paul's swarm)  They've been developing nicely, looking healthy and not showing any signs of swarming, So I wasn't particularly looking for another.

So I was completely taken aback to walk down the garden and find this in the fruit cage...

Its a little swarm!

Good job I know what to do and have a box to do it with...

Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon and the weather forecast was threatening rain so these girls needed to get a shimmy on and get into the box.  They were going a bit slow, in fact they were distinctly reluctant to leave the ground...  good job 'im indoors was nearby and could lift the decking to shake them into the box...

except that with all of these ones UNDER the decking its not looking like such a small swarm anymore...

However I think the queen must have been in the batch that got shaken from the piece of decking into the box as they suddenly started to move towards the box...

in fact they positively RAN into the box...

Five minutes later ....not a bee in sight...

I think you've seen the next bit a few times now.  Its beginning to get like a Tommy Cooper magic trick; " Box, Bees, 

Bees in box.  Just like that"

So lets recap on the hive situation here...

The original three, plus Paul's swarm on the far left...

The old queen hiding behind the playhouse...

and now these girls, to the side of the shed...

So that's six.  Six times the work, six times the fun.....I wonder if it might also be six times the honey?