Advice on swarm in a super please

[johnmcc]

Took a swarm (from one of my hives) on Tuesday and rang a friend who has an empty hive and wanted a colony. She wasn't quite ready, so I knocked up a temporary home for them in a couple of supers (all I had to hand), the lower one with frames with some drawn comb, with a crown board and a waterproof cover over it, standing on an old bedside cabinet. They seem to have settled down well and have been taking in stores (OSR I'm guessing) all day (temp up to 19° today, at last). The friend won't want them until the weekend.

My question is what should I do about the fact that they're making their home on super frames? Shall I just stick the super under her brood box? Or put the super frames into her brood box directly and let her sort them out at a later date?

 

[REDWOOD]

I would for now stick the supers under the brood box and when the colony is established you could find the queen put her in the brood box then put a QE above the supers until all the brood has hatched from the supers then remove the supers. you might want to put an extra entrance below the brood box when the queen excluder is in place

 

[Davelin]

I would do as you suggest and put a brood box over the super (assuming it warms up a bit so they haven't got too much space to heat). When Queen is in BB you can move super above Q excluder.

 

[MJBee]

If it is a decent sized swarm ie filling the super box, I would put it under a brood box of foundation. If your friend does not want to stay with brood and a half then as soon as the broodbox is drawn reverse the boxes, ensure the queen is in the Brood box and place a Qx between.

 

[johnmcc]

Thanks for the advice - I'll print it off and give it to her too (tech-phobe!)

I thought I'd give you a laugh with a snap of the "temporary hive" standing among our raised beds - not many veg yet but plenty of weeds!

 

[Davelin]

Been quite windy here today. Hope it's not on its way over to you or you could have another problem to sort out!

 

[johnmcc]

It's been pretty windy here too - hence the brick on top of the upturned seed tray and the two bricks and slab of concrete on the crown board! It's also quite sheltered where it is. Fingers crossed , , ,

 

[johnmcc]

Problem over - they reswarmed and pushed off to pastures new when I was out this lunchtime. They seemed quite happy and built a lot of comb considering they'd only been in there 3 days . . . . but now they've gorn!