Captured swarm - next steps

[boywonder]

So … my bees (one colony, going into the season) are gentle, but historically swarmy. I want increase this year, so performed a (risky) split from this colony (in my garden apiary) about 5 weeks ago, and, as a result, now have 2 nucs at an out-apiary, headed by new queens. I will be inspecting the nucs this weekend, in the hope/expectation that I have healthy, mated queens in each.

Given that the queen in the donor colony is a young (marked) 2016 queen, and given the depletion caused by the split, I was hoping for a swarm-free year this year, in the garden apiary … mmm …

The week prior, I inspected - all OK and normal. However, at the weekend I inspected again, and there were numerous charged, unsealed QCs, and a couple of capped QCs in the hive.

Bummer………. So I performed an AS, ASAP.

At this point, my supplies of kit (having used 2 nucs, one BB and associated frames for the split/AS, plus associated frames) were running a bit low, though I had one spare BB, roof, floor, some unassembled frames (deep and shallow, but with limited sheets of foundation) and a stack of supers with drawn frames.

All good then (kit-wise) for the summer honey crop, and the gradual, controlled growth of the new colonies at the out-apiary, etc…

Then, the day after the AS (Sunday, when there was a large village event, I had family round, and a flight to catch in the early evening for a business trip) … you guessed it - SWARM disaster in the garden. Bloody bees !!!

No time - depleted kit. Aaaargh !

So, I ended up successfully capturing it in a plastic box, and then transferring it to a makeshift “hive” - using 2 supers with drawn frames as a “brood box,” under which there is a QE.

And then I buggered-off to the airport.

I have now returned from my business trip, and the captured swarm now appears to be happy and stable in their half-baked home, and I am conscious that the queen may be starting to lay 20-to-the-dozen in those 2 supers.

Now, I presume that, at the weekend I helped invoke a swarm though the AS manipulation, although I will not know for certain what the situation is, until I fully inspect all (3) colonies in the garden and check-out the queen situation in each.

Therefore, the question might be premature, but, I am keen to get said captured-swarm out of the 2 supers ASAP, and into a proper BB - either on their own, or by (re-?)uniting.

The simplest thing for me to do is to put my hands over my ears, go “la-la-la” and just keep the swarm in the boxes they are in for now, but I would welcome any good suggestions as to how I can either transfer them to a BB with fresh foundation (given that I have no spare drawn frames), or unite.

Ideally, I would like to free-up those supers (which will now be populated with eggs/larvae) for their intended use.

Advice please Ta

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I fear you will have to buy some more kit - a brood box and some brood frames and foundation and maybe a queen excluder. Put the BB on the floor and nearly (except for 3 or 4) fill it with frames/foundation and shake all the bees from the supers into the gap in the BB frames. Place the rest of the frames in place and let the frames settle - don't force them down. Then place a queen excluder on top and place your supers with the brood in them on top of that.

The nurse bees will come up through the QE to cover the brood and the queen will be forced to stay down in the BB by the QE. In three weeks all the brood will have emerged and you're back to normal except for allowing any emerged drones to escape from the supers.

Because there will be a lot of wax needed to draw the frames, I'd be inclined to feed them so that the wax is drawn while the queen is anxious to lay like mad but this depends to some extent on the weather - remember, sugar is cheaper than honey.

CVB

 

[mjt68]

Pedant alert! This mistake crops up a lot and I find it confusing - not a dig just a clarification.....

(To me at least) a super is only a super when it is added on top of a box with brood with the intention of collecting honey. Otherwise it is a shallow. Similiarly a brood box is only a brood box if it has brood in it, otherwise it is a deep. Thinking like this also makes your problem much easier.

You original split your hive 3 ways, right? Two nucs and one in original hive. Original hive tried to swarm, this now in two sets of deeps?

You then have a hived swarm in 2 shallow boxes. Nothing too far out of the ordinary and easily fixed. Adding a deep below whichever shallow queenie is in means you're on brood and a half, perfectly sensible if bees move down. The other shallow can be added above an excluder to allow brood to emerge and there you are - you have brood and a half plus super.

 

[boywonder]

Thanks CBV. I had considered this approach (foundation is on order in any event), but was bricking-it about them then needing to draw comb - especially as I have a 14x12, so 2 "supers" above and a huge un-drawn BB below does not instinctively feel OK, and, given also the probable need to feed (which is anathema to me at this time of year). I was not wildly comfortable with this - hence my post.

mjt68, you have succinctly described my dilemma, and I had half-decided to take the approach you suggest, and I think I will go down that route.

It is great to have some valediction (thank heavens for the Forum), but any other ideas / comments / criticisms welcome. Ta.

 

[sherwood]

Pedant alert! This mistake crops up a lot and I find it confusing - not a dig just a clarification.....

(To me at least) a super is only a super when it is added on top of a box with brood with the intention of collecting honey. Otherwise it is a shallow. Similiarly a brood box is only a brood box if it has brood in it, otherwise it is a deep. Thinking like this also makes your problem much easier.

You original split your hive 3 ways, right? Two nucs and one in original hive. Original hive tried to swarm, this now in two sets of deeps?

You then have a hived swarm in 2 shallow boxes. Nothing too far out of the ordinary and easily fixed. Adding a deep below whichever shallow queenie is in means you're on brood and a half, perfectly sensible if bees move down. The other shallow can be added above an excluder to allow brood to emerge and there you are - you have brood and a half plus super.

You Might also wish considering replacing the swarmy queen This might be achieved by placing the newly created hive on a swarm board(a crown board with raised sides and an entrance) immediately above the existing hive this facilitates unification it also requires that you have only one roof over the two colonies. I will often perform this procedure when I am conducting an artificial swarm and intend reuniting the colonies once the new queen is laying, I will usually orientate the entrance on the colony above at 90 degrees to that below.