Bees not moving from Nuc.

[Zoth]

Hi everybody. Thanks for your help with my OA question. Here goes another. In the Spring I obtained a five frame Nucleus and after a few days put the frames of Bees in the middle of my Langstroth Jumbo, filled the remainder of the hive with foundation and that was that, expecting them to expand into the rest of the hive. After a couple of weeks, they swarmed, twice, and on having a look found they had not expanded at all but remained on the five original frames. Of course they ran out of room and swarmed.
Anybody got any ideas on why they did not expand ? Thanks

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Bit of a novice myself, so no doubt others with more experience will be along in a little while. But ...

Did you feed them? If they went into a hive with only undrawn foundation, and you did not feed them syrup, it would have been hard work for them to draw it out. As a result, they might have decided to look elsewhere.

 

[RoofTops]

I would have put the frames to one side of the hive and added only a couple of frames of foundation. That way the bees can concentrate on just one frame of foundation at a time. It is possible the nuc got a bit chilled in the middle of the hive.

Feeding 50:50 sugar syup is also a good idea to encourage them to draw out foundation, unless there is a flow of something like OSR going on.

It is also possible they had already decided to swarm before the move so giving them extra space did not work.

 

[Zoth]

Thanks for the replies. I did feed them syrup, which they took. A good point made by rooftops, I intend to purchase another this year so will follow your advice.

 

[Finman]

After a couple of weeks, they swarmed, twice, Anybody got any ideas on why they did not expand ? Thanks

If the hive gets into its mind to swarm, it does not draw new foundations. It start to wait when to leave.

Like Rooftops say, I think too, that you nuc had allready got an idea to swarm, before you put it into larger hive. And perhaps they got that idea later. But it takes about 2 weeks from "idea" to swarming.

Some Carniolan stocks are difficult in this meaning. They get the idea quite early in Spring and they do not give up. Italians are slow and they may swarm a month later.

One thing more.... if the colony is not ready to draw foundations for weather or for missing flow, they deny to draw combs.

.

 

[Poly Hive]

Couple of tips for the next time.

Please think about warmth. You like to comfortable and so do the bees.

In putting a nuc in a full body their space is doubled with no extra heating for them... so..

I would put a frame feeder next to the hive wall, then one foundation frame, then the nuc, then another foundation, then an insulated dummy. When they have the first side of the foundation drawn and are beginning the other side turn them round. When they are drawn add another two and so on. After the first feed is taken offer a 2nd and there after if the weather is reasonable stop feeding.

Bees are not machines and need nurturing.

PH

 

[Zoth]

Thanks Polyhive, looks like sound advice. Grateful for your time.

 

[Into the lions den]

Hi everybody. Thanks for your help with my OA question. Here goes another. In the Spring I obtained a five frame Nucleus and after a few days put the frames of Bees in the middle of my Langstroth Jumbo, filled the remainder of the hive with foundation and that was that, expecting them to expand into the rest of the hive. After a couple of weeks, they swarmed, twice, and on having a look found they had not expanded at all but remained on the five original frames. Of course they ran out of room and swarmed.
Anybody got any ideas on why they did not expand ? Thanks

I see a lot of replies to this but would have to say that the information provided, whislt not bad, does not lend itself to a reliable conclusion.

However, assuming the information to be accurate, the two weeks delay before swarming is probably highly significant.

Had the nuc already been in the advanced stages of swarm preparations then it should have gone long before the two weeks were up (unless there already abundant cells which you knocked down, and as this is plainly not mentioned I assume it not to be the case.)

The most likely occurrence here is none of the things I have read (and I have only 'parsed' the thread), rather that your queen was a casualty of the transfer. It happens. Even with the greatest care a small proportion either get damaged or just fail to adapt in the new surroundings. 14 days is round about the correct time lapse for the first castings from emergency cells started soon after transfer, and if the time of the season is favourable they can put out more than one such swarm.

Did you examine them after the transfer? Was the queen laying OK? Were there queen cells? If so what type? (Supercedure/Swarm/Emergency). Many questions............only with answers to those, and perhaps even more, can a reliable answer be given.

 

[Poly Hive]

Cannot disagree Murray but the OP is very much a beginner and so...

Happy New Year to you sir.

PH

 

[Into the lions den]

Happy New Year to you sir.

PH

And the same to you too Pete!

 

[gavin]

Och, Happy New Year from me to all too.

I've just started on the booze already and not yet eaten so thoughts of toddling off to see Murray with a couple of bottles aint going to happen. Might stop buy with a lump of coal tomorrow though ... oh wait a minute, shouldn't first footers be tall, dark and handsome?!

Not an avid user of these thing but maybe its time for ....



and



and I hope that everyone manages to avoid



New Year's Resolution: return to frugal use of smileys.

 

[Poly Hive]

Michty chiel I think so too... frugality in all things especially siller....

PH
Hmm and Lang may your lum reek...

 

[beebreeder]

Another option would be to put a QX between the floor and broodbox for a week and feed until combs are drawn out. On next inspection check for eggs, if no eggs look for Q/cells and look for old queen, when transferring bees I always find the queen and move her c/w frame first and then put remaining frames in after.