Black friday

[chalkie]

My bees swarmed on friday onto the next plot and settled about a foot high in a connifer, got them into a nuc and placed back on my plot, whilst still suited up decided to go through the hives again to check where they had come from although i had only checked them 3 days before and all seemed fine, was just closing the last hive when another nuc i have decide's to swarm, the sky was black with bee's and the air was blue not a lot that i could do but watch, quickly when't through the nuc and not one queen cell to be seen then within 15 mins they where all filing back in .
Questions:
Went back yesterday and the first swarm is still hanging out all over the box do you think the queen could be outside or is the 5 frame nuc box to small, and why should the other nuc swarm when no queen cells.

 

[gavin]

If that was a prime swarm it could easily be that the nuc box is just too small.

Your swarming nuc: either there is something about it that makes it want to abscond (dodgy chemicals on the wood getting too much when it heats up in the sun?) or you really do have a queen cell in there.

 

[susbees]

To know if they are too small....how many seams of bees, how many frames of brood, how much stores?