Artificial swarm options?

[Islandbees]

Hi, new here and new to beekeeping. I've been part of an association for about 18 months and had my own bees for about 3 months now. When I collected my nuc (association bred bees) they were on about 6 frames and due to lack of forage where they were, were not looking like expanding anytime soon. However, when I put them into my apiary they exploded and within a few weeks had filled the national brood box and a few weeks later were planning on swarming. I carried out an artificial swarm and now I'm waiting for the a queen to be mated.
I plan on keeping 2 colonies now but I want to ensure they are both strong enough to over winter. My plan is to keep the original queen in the national and put the new colony in a nuc (currently in original national parent hive). If the colony was slightly too big for the nuc, could any remaining bees be reunited with their original queen in the new AS hive?
Sorry for long message, thanks in advance.

 

[BeeJayBee]

You could reunite them, but you'd deplete that colony. Better to put the nuc colony into a brood box if it needs the space.

 

[oliver90owner]

You are well north, so your season will be differeng than for those of us far to the south.

A/S should sort the disribution of bees in order to continue crop collectionfor the old queen section and provide sufficient bees in the parent colony to get over the 'hump' of no laying queen, which will be about 2 1/2 weeks plus any weather related extension of that time.

Both should get strong enough for over-wintering, but if you wish to keep one as a nuc then capped brood transfer is the better option as it can be done on a regular basis to keep the nuc limited while strengthening the main colony without any problems encountered if transferring bees.

I over-winter nucs in poly on 6 frames (mine are 14x12, mind) as these are reliable sized units and generally don't need reinforcing in springtime. I like my extra deep frames and these really emulate deeps with a shallow box of stores above.

You can, of course, transfer brood back to the smaller colony later in the year if necessary. You are the beekeeper and need to observe, consider and act as appropriate. What you do not want is that nuc swarming late in the season!

 

[Finman]

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What does mean lack of forage during 3 months in you place? What is that vegetation? Hives do not even grow? How can you keep bees then?

 

[Islandbees]

Thanks for the replies, as you suggest I'll give them a while longer and judge it then. I was assuming I would have a smaller colony after the split and a nuc would be required. Just wondered if it was slightly too big for nuc but too small or brood box could I reunite the rest. But fingers crossed I'll have 2 full brood boxes.

Finman, I have had the bees 3 months in my apiary. There is lack of forage where the bees were originally. The association site is quite baron mostly moorland / hill, all the association colonies remain small nuc size throughout the year. They are a native black bee, they aren't massive honey producers but that's how we keep them and they survive.

 

[Finman]

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I mean that a colony needs diverse pollen flowers to grow up. If there is no any such vegetation, you must find another place. To become a wintering colony, it needs good quality pollen.

I have had native black bees 25 years. I know enough what they are.