A swarm in May, worth a load of hay;
A swarm in June, a silver spoon;
A swarm in July, let 'em fly.

Swarming is a natural biological phenomenon of honey bees. They not only reproduce to increase their numbers in the hive, but also perpetuate the species by taking a portion of hive population and departing the hive to start a new colony elsewhere.

The little ditty above tells a bee keeper how likely she will be able to receive excess honey from a captured swarm. The biggest swarms are early in the year and usually become smaller as the season progresses. For a bee keeper, it is not desirable for the working bees to leave a hive, so there are certain manipulations of the hive that sometimes can prevent swarming. Buying more bees is very costly, so it behooves one to try to capture a swarm.

The bees in a swarm are usually very gentle and will not sting because they have no honey stores or brood to protect, so capturing a cluster of bees can be pretty simple or other times VERY hard if they decide to land in a tree that is too high to reach.

The above picture is of a recent swarm of bees who were inconsiderate enough to land at the very top of a tree. I was unable to retrieve them and they flew off the next day for unknown regions. The next week, a sister hive sent off a swarm that I was just barely able to reach with a ladder on the back of a pick-up truck. I was able to successfully hive that swarm and they are now busy making a new colony for me.

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After all the work to capture a swarm, a glass of Darjeeling iced tea with Elderflower syrup is very welcomed. The elderberries, with their bridal bouquet umbels, grace many places along the roads in our rural Kansas area. Their scent is also very alluring if one happens to stop by to watch the bees gathering the pollen and nectar from these beautiful flowering “weeds”.  The scent is sweet but with a low note of pepper.

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Late June and early July is the time to make the Elderflower Syrup. The base is a simple 1:2 ratio of water and sugar. This is the same type of syrup beekeepers feed to the bees in the fall if the bees are short on honey reserves.

Elderflower Syrup

• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 T + 2 tsp food-grade citric acid (found in the canning aisle of supermarket)
• 15 big elderflower heads (umbels)
• 1/2 to 1 organic lemon, cut into slices (optional)

Instructions

2. Combine sugar, water, and citric acid in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

3. Shake the Elder flowers to remove insects or debris. Trim flowers from the stems.

4. Add the blossoms and the lemon slices (if using) to a large glass jar or bowl.

5. Immersed the flowers in the syrup. Cover and leave to infuse in a cool room or the refrigerator for 48 hours. Stir once per day.

6. Strain the syrup through a fine-meshed sieve.

7. Bottle the syrup in a jar with a tight screw tops. This syrup will usually keep for 1 year as is, stored in a dark, cool place (cellar/fridge).

Darjeeling Iced Tea with Elderflower Syrup

• Place 1 T Darjeeling tea leaves into a quart sized container with a lid.
• Add 1 quart cold water.
• Let cold-steep overnight or for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
• Strain tea leaves from the tea.
• Fill glass with ice and add 1-2 tablespoons of Elderflower Syrup
• Top off glass with the Darjeeling tea.
• Garnish with lemon if desired.