change of post ....(my swarmy hive)

[thebhoy]

I started typing this when mother in law walked in and says those dreadful words....your bees are swarming ....so had to stop mid post....


Am going on holiday in two weeks time for a 8 days....I have a 'swarmy' hive that has tried to swarm twice in May...has clipped queen so all returned.
I had done a Demaree, I have a nuc from, it I loaded with new foundation etc and it is still throwing up qc's which I just

Would welcome suggestions from the many experienced beeks......

I am looking at doing an AS, would struggle to place new hive either side of this hive so would have to relocate elsewhere in the garden.


Now that I am back in....queen is clipped and found her on a plant near to hive....bees in the air and settling high in a tree 3 gardens away.

Pick up queen, put her back in the hive and now all fanning and bees returning.

Timing is everything: My neighbour had told me earlier he was having a bbq..starting around 2.30 - 3pm ....bang on cue my bees swarm at 3pm

 

[Swarm]

Timing is everything: My neighbour had told me earlier he was having a bbq..starting around 2.30 - 3pm ....bang on cue my bees swarm at 3pm

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

 

[thebhoy]

I think they were upset that they weren't invited so decided to gatecrash it in numbers

 

[Swarm]

Yeah, I just imagined the scene Mine did this a few years ago, AS done at 10 am bees swarm at 2 pm, neighbour's barbeque in full swing. They were great about it to be fair and his description was hysterical.
Try a Snelgrove board, no new site to worry about.

 

[thebhoy]

Possible option Swarm, thanks.

Have just posted another post for advice

Was thinking of adding a BB with new foundation under three supers then original BB in demaree to see if that would help settle them and get them out of swarm mode.
They are such a pain spending more time wanting to swarm....have around five frames of capped brood plus another three frames of bias then stores.

Also thought about buying another queen, leaving them queenless for a week, destroying QC'S then introducing newbie......

Decisions decisions decisions.....with bees there are so many to make and more mistakes than solutions

 

[oliver90owner]

Pick up queen, put her back in the hive and now all fanning and bees returning.

Err, why? They will likely try to go again as soon as possible?

Stuffing her into a nuc with a frame of brood and some house bees would have been more sensible?

 

[thebhoy]

Thanks Rab....voice of experience that us 'newbies' depend on... with advice, that after the event, makes logical sense and makes us keep our feet on the ground knowing we have so much to learn.

Will take her out tomorrow.... only have a jumbo lang, Jumbo Lang nuc or a 14 x 12 bb....will have to set up BB with follower board and an extra frame until I get more during week.
Will put in a frame of eggs from my other hive which is a Buckfast Queen, knock down all / any qc's over next week from original frames and hopefully I will get QC's on the 'new' frame....this will hopefully get me a better queen.

Gives me a week to ensure I only have one QC before I go on holiday......cheers sir, mind a lot clearer now

 

[thebhoy]

Job done....

queen in new hive, 3 frames and several frames of bees shook into it, dummied down with insulation board...flyers will return to original hive.

Original hive has had a foundation frame added.

Will give it a couple of days before adding frame of eggs from other hive.

onwards and upwards......