Advice please and a question or two

[Cuckmere couple]

I have 2.5 colonies (0.5 a small swarm collected sunday)

1 - is last years virgin queen which we overwintered, became very small, fed (pollen plus sugar water) now on 8 frames of brood in a national. Ideally we want to double brood this one and am contemplating doing this soon and leaving supers in situ when we go away 24/6 for 10 days. Very calm on frames and a nice queen...she came from one of our splits last year

2- is an overwintered colony bought from Paynes. Expensive but we wanted to try it once. In a poly nuc, 5 frames of largely capped brood, extension box with 3 frames drawn, 3 undrawn.

3- small swarm caught on sun (3 seams of bees) poly nuc, 6 frames undrawn. Old queen as some eggs in some brace comb.

We would like some honey this year and colony 1&2 seem our best bet.

Bees in 3 dont seem quite as calm as 1&2.

Should we let colony 3 lay up some frames and then add them as frames of brood (if healthy) to 1 to help that expand into double brood...or even colony 2.

Try to raise it as a 3rd colony (we would like 3)?

 

[Uncle Betty]

I have 2.5 colonies (0.5 a small swarm collected sunday)

1 - is last years virgin queen which we overwintered, became very small, fed (pollen plus sugar water) now on 8 frames of brood in a national. Ideally we want to double brood this one and am contemplating doing this soon and leaving supers in situ when we go away 24/6 for 10 days. Very calm on frames and a nice queen...she came from one of our splits last year

2- is an overwintered colony bought from Paynes. Expensive but we wanted to try it once. In a poly nuc, 5 frames of largely capped brood, extension box with 3 frames drawn, 3 undrawn.

3- small swarm caught on sun (3 seams of bees) poly nuc, 6 frames undrawn. Old queen as some eggs in some brace comb.

We would like some honey this year and colony 1&2 seem our best bet.

Bees in 3 dont seem quite as calm as 1&2.

Should we let colony 3 lay up some frames and then add them as frames of brood (if healthy) to 1 to help that expand into double brood...or even colony 2.

Try to raise it as a 3rd colony (we would like 3)?

I would decide on one of those wants, and act accordingly.

Personally, I would prioritise increase.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

Thanks Uncle

my plan for first week or so anyway is to let them settle, draw comb, have a look for obvious diseases etc and observe how the queen is doing

so am leaving with foundation and not feeding for first 3/4 days, seem right?

 

[Uncle Betty]

Thanks Uncle

my plan for first week or so anyway is to let them settle, draw comb, have a look for obvious diseases etc and observe how the queen is doing

so am leaving with foundation and not feeding for first 3/4 days, seem right?

Yes, the advice I've used is to not feed swarms for a few days.

A swarm takes a supply of nectar/honey with them. If this is infected with foul brood, they will store it in comb if that is what they are hived on, so keeping the infection going in the new colony. To greatly reduce the chances of infection I advise hiving a swarm on foundation and not feeding for at least 3-4 days. I rarely find swarms need feeding anyway, so I don't do it.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/hivingswarm.html

Other things that I have done from the beginning, and only because Dave Cushman was my first source -

- Keep the nuc box out of direct sun. I have plenty dappled tree-shade at the home apiary, handily.

- Close up the mesh floor.

- Set the entrance to 'excluder' for a few days.

Good luck !

 

[Cuckmere couple]

Yes, the advice I've used is to not feed swarms for a few days.



http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/hivingswarm.html

Other things that I have done from the beginning, and only because Dave Cushman was my first source -

- Keep the nuc box out of direct sun. I have plenty dappled tree-shade at the home apiary, handily.

- Close up the mesh floor.

- Set the entrance to 'excluder' for a few days.

Good luck !

thats exactly where we are (and thanks for the link...had read that earlier too)

collected sun eve, not fed, added 6 foundation, dappled light, QE entrance in, brace comb had some eggs in so not a virgin (potentially old), havent losed the mesh floor...if this is for heat i think its warm enough for them

today is day 4, may feed later...probably open entrance to no QE but narrow...

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Treat the swarm for varroa too

 

[simonforeman]

What treatment would you use on a swarm?

 

[Uncle Betty]

What treatment would you use on a swarm?

I would use Apiguard, assuming you are expecting temperatures to remain 15C, plus.

Although... Apiguard will be a tad awkward with a poly hive, unless you had bought an eke with/for it.

Otherwise you'd need to make up one, so that the tray can sit atop the frames. You'd want it to be close-fitting all round.


ps Use half-dose for a swarm.


.

 

[MerryBee]

Oxalic acid / ApiBioxal either by vaporising or trickling. A single application is very effective as long as you do it before there is any sealed brood.

Apiguard takes 4 weeks and the bees hate it.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i have some left over apiguard as switching to MAQ strips so could use that

have a eke for poly nuc too

is half a dose one tray rather than two or half a tray twice....

 

[masterBK]

I have found the dusting the bees in a broodless swarm with icing sugar dislodges most of the Varroa (no good once they have brood)

 

[colinc]

I have no experience of Apiguard but I would be wary of using MAQS in high daytime temperatures. There are a fair number of reports of Queen loss in these circumstances. Use when day temps exceed 10degC but not too warm so autumn is good (when I have experience of it). My queens survived it but others haven’t.


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[colinc]

If you just want to try some of your own bees honey then you could remove just a frame or two rather than a whole super.


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[Finman]

I have found the dusting the bees in a broodless swarm with icing sugar dislodges most of the Varroa (no good once they have brood)

Oxalic acid trickling works well in swarms.
.

 

[Finman]

I have no experience of Apiguard but I would be wary of using MAQS in high daytime temperatures. There are a fair number of reports of Queen loss in these circumstances. Use when day temps exceed 10degC but not too warm so autumn is good (when I have experience of it). My queens survived it but others haven’t.


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Maqs = formic acid works when day temps are over 15C. Queen losses starts to happen when day temps rise over 25C.

Apiquard is thymol.
.

 

[Finman]

.
Oxalic trickling gives no aroma to the swarm hive or to honey, but thymol is quite impossible to use during yield period.

 

[Millet]

I have no experience of Apiguard but I would be wary of using MAQS in high daytime temperatures. There are a fair number of reports of Queen loss in these circumstances. Use when day temps exceed 10degC but not too warm so autumn is good (when I have experience of it). My queens survived it but others haven’t.


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I have not used Apiguard but i have used another thymol treatment Apilife Var, luckily the Queen stayed alive but i did not like seeing the dead brood on the inspection tray.
Never Again, i am into a fourth season using oxalic acid in my little frying pan, i have lost no bees to Varroa and no Queens or brood to treatment.

 

[Uncle Betty]

Never Again, i am into a fourth season using oxalic acid in my little frying pan, i have lost no bees to Varroa and no Queens or brood to treatment.

Yes, same here.

It would be a big investment though, for someone with only two or three colonies.

Plus, vaping a poly nuc requires a bit of care. Someone on here put up a few pics of a vaping eke iirc.

 

[colinc]

You can set up to vape for £30 + a battery pack and despite the cost of licences oxalis it isn’t pricey. Just need to be careful with the acid.


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[Beefriendly]

It would be a big investment though, for someone with only two or three colonies.

Tightwad.....only £35 for a basic vaporizer....around 7 jars of honey in sales.