Caught a swarm

[Newbeebeekeeper]

Hey everyone

I caught a swarm last night and put them into a hive last night. I dont have a nuc for them yet but im in the process of finishing building one probably tomorrow night.

But so far they haven't done much i was out with them tonight and no movement out of them at all. It would make you think that they are either starving/dehydrated or worse sick.

So i put a feed on the top and gave a spray with water on the doorstep.
After that im out of ideas but they are currently about 40m from my main hive. I caught them about 3.5 miles from home.

Any suggestions welcome

 

[birdsandbees]

Hey everyone

I caught a swarm last night and put them into a hive last night. I dont have a nuc for them yet but im in the process of finishing building one probably tomorrow night.

But so far they haven't done much i was out with them tonight and no movement out of them at all. It would make you think that they are either starving/dehydrated or worse sick.

So i put a feed on the top and gave a spray with water on the doorstep.
After that im out of ideas but they are currently about 40m from my main hive. I caught them about 3.5 miles from home.

Any suggestions welcome

Are they definitely still inside? - maybe absconded?
What's the weather like, are they keeping out of the elements?
No movement at all is very odd? Perhaps someone tried poisoning them.
How long had they been out in the open? Maybe they were starving but I doubt it, there should be enough forage for them out there.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

Yeah they are still in there.

The weather is mild though they were pretty exposed where they where and no idea how long they had been from they left the hive. As soon as i was told they were there i had them scooped up in 30 mins

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Hey everyone

I caught a swarm last night and put them into a hive last night. I dont have a nuc for them yet but im in the process of finishing building one probably tomorrow night.

But so far they haven't done much i was out with them tonight and no movement out of them at all. It would make you think that they are either starving/dehydrated or worse sick.

So i put a feed on the top and gave a spray with water on the doorstep.
After that im out of ideas but they are currently about 40m from my main hive. I caught them about 3.5 miles from home.

Any suggestions welcome

What frames did you add to the hive - drawn comb or foundation? When you gave them the feed what activity did you see? Did you give syrup or fondant?
Did you see NO bees coming and going? If so they probably have absconded.

 

[Machonachos]

Sounds like you are doing the right thing. Not much you can do if they abscond on you. I got a swarm home last weekend only to find thousands of dead bees out front of hive and bees very slow and not flying. I figured they were starving as they’d been hung up in the rain for who knows how long. So I fed for 4 days and kept clearing away the dead.

Took a peak today and no more dead, hive has drawn out 3-4 frames and eggs spotted. Don’t give up on them just yet. Give it a week and worst case it has cost you some sugar water.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

That was my thought just feed. I have a perspex crown board so i can see them inside. I only had undrawn out comb as i havent built up a supply yet as any i have is in use and my own hive has seemed to have settled down on the comb building and are more into trying to put honey everywhere

 

[bingevader]

What do you mean by, "out with them tonight and no movement"!
Why weren't you expecting them to be tucked up in bed?

As Machonachos has said, if they're still there and you've put a feed on, then there isn't much more to do other than wait.

Don't worry about the foundation, if you've given them food, then they have a ready supply to draw out wax.

We caught a swarm a couple of weeks ago that has gone into a Warre hive (just top bars, no foundation).
The weather went off that week for a few days, so we fed them to give them a head start and they're doing very well now.
As it was in an isolated spot, we were able to leave the box until the evening for the stragglers.
When we return the box was it was dead silent and only started gently humming as we transported it to the new site.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

They dont look like they have moved at all in 24 hours but they aren't dead just very slow movement of the head but not really moving. Would dusting them with icing sugar or spraying the frames or bees with sugar water help them feed to start off if they were starving. They haven't moved towards the feeder yet.

 

[Millet]

Hey everyone

I caught a swarm last night and put them into a hive last night. I dont have a nuc for them yet but im in the process of finishing building one probably tomorrow night.

But so far they haven't done much i was out with them tonight and no movement out of them at all. It would make you think that they are either starving/dehydrated or worse sick.

So i put a feed on the top and gave a spray with water on the doorstep.
After that im out of ideas but they are currently about 40m from my main hive. I caught them about 3.5 miles from home.

Any suggestions welcome

You need help.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

Hey

Just an update most of the swarm are dead now but some are still hanging in there and are now in at the feeder but not many left to feed.

 

[enrico]

Sounds like they are gonners. It is always good to drizzle some syrup on them from the feeder and down the sides of the feeder so they realise it is there.
E

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

I hadn't heard of that before. I just assumed they could smell it. They are in a full sized hive but i imagine they will be dead soon. They didnt draw out any comb or do anything useful

 

[JWF]

Sounds like they've had a significant problem to me - poisoning maybe?

 

[Millet]

I hadn't heard of that before. I just assumed they could smell it. They are in a full sized hive but i imagine they will be dead soon. They didnt draw out any comb or do anything useful

It is not your fault as you did not know what to do from the start but i fear they have starved or starving, not poisoning they have just ran out of food before they could make a place to store it.
That i my take on the matter, i do not know what amount of bees are left but if the Queen is still alive, dummy the Nuc down to two frames and insulate the rest of the space, personally i would also spray them with warm 1:1 sugar with a light spray bottle, and do what Enrico said regarding the feeder, after that we can do little else to save them.

 

[mickbees23]

After that im out of ideas but they are currently about 40m from my main hive. I caught them about 3.5 miles from home. Any suggestions welcome

First, never bring a swarm to your apiary. How do you know if this swarm hasn't come from a diseased colony ? If they have something wrong with them they could transfer it to your bees. I have collected swarms that have been hanging in a tree for 2 weeks and they have always survived so I don't think lack of food is the problem although it could be I imagine. They may have absconded from a hive or maybe lost their queen. Have you been able to get a good luck at them ? Most swarms in my experience have built at least 1 frame of comb in 24 hours no matter how hard they have had it. I collected one that had spent a week exposed to the pouring rain hanging on a bush and it was fine, 6 years later I still have the descendants.

Good luck. Cheers, Mick.