After a cast swarm?

[Bitbybit]

My bees clustered to swarm on the 22nd of may last but then returned to the hive. I assumed that the queen was clipped and had not managed to join the cluster. I had a good look through the hive and around the front but could not find her. I split the hive in two (bias in both) and left them side by side until the flying bees returned and them moved one to a friends garden many miles away. I afraid I chickened out during the split and left two capped queen cells in both in the hope that the first out would do the nasty on the other. Today, while out gardening, a swarm flew over my head. I when to nave a look in the next field but could not find their new home. I have had a look through the hive and I have an uncapped charged queen cell and what looks like an old capped queen cell. Any advice on what to do next?

 

[Bitbybit]

If my question is too stupid to answer could you please let me know!!

 

[oliver90owner]

If there was still a clipped queen in the hive, they would have gone a out a week later.

You could perhaps have checked after the split.

Two capped queen cells in a split hive is not to much of a risk - only the one cast, if any, and if one cell dere duff, better than no queen at all.

You did need to check for further queen cells, mind, in both splits.

What has happened since is doubtful of any connectinn unless the queen was left in that split and she has gone now (quite likely after a month if she was laying well etc,) - remember splitting is not an A/S.

Hope that helps you sort out what might have happened as it is only a guess and makes quite a fw assumptions.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Did you clip the queen yourself, or did you buy the colony and presume she had been clipped?

If my question is too stupid to answer could you please let me know!!

It isn't a stupid question.

It's just that the forum hasn't been working very well this evening because of a change of servers. I've been able to read posts but not able to log on until just now, I expect other people have had the same problem which would explain the number of hits but only one reply so far.

 

[Bitbybit]

Thank you both, I realised later there was a problem with the forum. I'm afraid that I assumed the queen was clipped as they did not swarm on that first occasion, I checked through the hive before I split it but failed to find her nor did I find her on subsequent inspections. I was hoping to find a nice new queen at this stage not watch half of them head off!! Any ideas on what to do next - wait for them to raise a queen or buy in?

 

[Bitbybit]

Oliver when you state that a split is not an AS could you explain the difference? I thought by spitting the hive, adding more room and moving half away they would decide that they had swarmed and calm down.

 

[oliver90owner]

Considerable difference. Search for Padgen Artificial Swarming and you may learn why simple splitting is not an A/S.

 

[enrico]

Oliver when you state that a split is not an AS could you explain the difference? I thought by spitting the hive, adding more room and moving half away they would decide that they had swarmed and calm down.

To answer your question, a split is where you simply split the hive in two, it is a simple method of increasing your stock and will probably not stop any swarms.
An artificial swarm is where you make your old queen think she has swarmed by giving her undrawn comb and all the old flying bees. You remove the brood and nurse bees to another site, it can be a few yards away, and they also think the queen has swarmed so they raise another queen. That way you have now increased your hives but have quelled the swarming instinct. You can happily reunite your hives by killing the old queen and putting them all together again, this way you don't double your hives every year!
Hope this is helpful
E

 

[enrico]

My bees clustered to swarm on the 22nd of may last but then returned to the hive. I assumed that the queen was clipped and had not managed to join the cluster. I had a good look through the hive and around the front but could not find her. I split the hive in two (bias in both) and left them side by side until the flying bees returned and them moved one to a friends garden many miles away. I afraid I chickened out during the split and left two capped queen cells in both in the hope that the first out would do the nasty on the other. Today, while out gardening, a swarm flew over my head. I when to nave a look in the next field but could not find their new home. I have had a look through the hive and I have an uncapped charged queen cell and what looks like an old capped queen cell. Any advice on what to do next?

Leave them to raise another queen from the old queen cell or eggs. You only need to worry when the eggs run out! Let us know if that happens and we will help again!
E

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

Egg/larvae / AS

When doing a a/s is it absolutely necessary to remove the queen from all eggs, larvae, sealed brood, ie remove the queen from the frame she is on and transfer her to a clean drawn frame plus the rest as foundation. Then that would be the only way it would not be possible for q cells to develop in the a/s.

Dave W

 

[Bitbybit]

Thank you all for the nice clear info. Next year I'll get it right hopefully!!

 

[shudderdun]

Sorry to hijack Bitbybits querry.

I inspected my hive on Tuesday and found three unsealed QC expecting them to be sealed either Wednesday or Thursday, I was unable to do an A/S until Wednesday afternoon so ended up fastening a QE to the front of the hive to keep Q in should they decide to swarm before I could do the A/S, it wasn’t practical at the time for me to put the QE under the brood box.
Anyway, sure enough when I opened them up Wednesday afternoon, I found two of three QC’s had been sealed, good job I fitted the QE !
Thing is how many QC to leave??? I would like to say one because of my experience earlier this month when the bees from my first ever AS decided to swarm four times, it was a mixture of bees leaving and returning as if to practice their swarming technique, may have also had a cast swarm from them as well, did eventually get them contained in a nuc and am just waiting to see if Q starts laying !
So with two cells being sealed the same day and the third maybe a day later, what would be the best thing to do ???

Thanks for any advive.

 

[enrico]

As you saw the queen cells before they were capped you should know if they were charged, therefore it is not too risky to just leave one. Pick the best
E

 

[shudderdun]

Thanks enrico, dont want to be running around like a mad man like last time.

Timing mghht be right to use one of those cells if the cast or swarm I did at the begining of the month dosnt show signes of eggs or Q.