The Swarm Season is starting.

Swarming is already happening in parts of SADC region.

The heavy rains of last season should set a foundation for a very strong season this year as longas there is not as much rain which will wash the pollen and nectar away and stop bees from collecting.

1) Make sure you have swarm lure / bee bait ready - see #4

2) Get or make catch boxes that will fit 4-6 frames inside

3) Place them at least 1m above ground - above roofs / in trees and so on.

4) Ensure you have put either lemongrass oil x 2 drops at the back / use propolis from last season / slumgum [dirty beeswax] and smear it at the back of the catch boxes to lure swarms

5) Be Ready with apiary sites partnering with farmers / landowners that have crops, fruit trees and other forage-rich trees/plants available to support honeybee food supply.

6) Make sure you have budget for brood chambers when the catch boxes are ready to swap over

7) When the catch boxes fill up transfer them over to the brood chambers keeping the frames in the same order.

8) Protect your colonies from pests like bee pirates and ants using various techniques.

9) Get all the protective clothing you need to make working with the bees

10) Add super chambers as needed when the brood chambers reach 8 drawn out combs.

11) When the honey is capped, harvest your honey using a honey extractor or manual wax manual press and uncapping tools!