cocked up swarm hiving

[Curley]

Hi all - after a bit of advice.

Was presented with a swarm today, brought it home and got most of it in the hive. Not the smoothest operation and I obviously missed the queen the swarm reconvened in my buddleja. After a bit of thrashing around in the leaves and branches with a box and a bee brush the swarm decamped again and clustered on a much more convenient place, an old ladder rest. I knocked them into the box, inverted over a sheet and board and propped - within minutes much fanning and shortly the large bulk of the bees were in the box.

Question is - do I leave it till tonight to have another go at hiving or go for it asap?

Any views and advice gratefully received

 

[user 6228]

Hi all - after a bit of advice.

Was presented with a swarm today, brought it home and got most of it in the hive. Not the smoothest operation and I obviously missed the queen the swarm reconvened in my buddleja. After a bit of thrashing around in the leaves and branches with a box and a bee brush the swarm decamped again and clustered on a much more convenient place, an old ladder rest. I knocked them into the box, inverted over a sheet and board and propped - within minutes much fanning and shortly the large bulk of the bees were in the box.

Question is - do I leave it till tonight to have another go at hiving or go for it asap?

Any views and advice gratefully received

black out the mesh floor
and make the entrance less that 15cm2
Only have at most 4 frames with foundation in the box when you first put them in. leave them a few hours then put the rest of the frames in. THis makes it easier to put them in and ensures that they can appreciate the 40 litres.
(for reasoning with academic research backup, read TD Seeley honeybee democracy)

 

[Curley]

thanks Derek - I'd read that they don't always like OMFs but forgot that in the excitement - will give it a go. I'm reading Honey bee democracy at the moment - proper science that.

 

[snelgrove]

evening is the generally accepted time for hiving a swarm, but at anyother time of the day works just as well, in fact I would hive a swarm at a time that suits me.

 

[oliver90owner]

You seem sorted but for future the first question is: How far? If very local they can be gone but very unlikely in your case as the scouts will most likely have been lost and they are not going to find another new home so quickly.

Guessing it is a cast, as the queen was flighty?

As an aside - I don't bother with half boxes of frames. They either go into a 6 frame nuc box or a full hive, each with a full complement of foundation frames. Neither is 40 litres, either! I don't want comb being built from the crownboard! Really large swarms don't want putting into a deep box with drawn frames as there may not be enough space....It means, really, that you need to take into consideration the size of the colony and 4 frames and 40 litres is nothing more than the 'average' - and not so mmany swarms are pot on 'average'.

It is now evening. Are you planning on running them in?

 

[Curley]

Hi RAB

It's around the 2 mile mark where the swarm came from. The bees are still flying in and out of their box so will leave it a little longer. I was thinking of tipping them but might try running them in. Its something I've wanted to try.

I think it is a cast but a fair sized one probably two litres of bees or more. Does that make a difference regarding running in or tipping in?

 

[drstitson]

"After a bit of thrashing around in the leaves and branches with a box and a bee brush "

what's wrong with secateurs and knocking the swarm off the cut branch directly over box.

 

[itma]

... I was thinking of tipping them but might try running them in. Its something I've wanted to try.
...

Tip them in.
Bees should walk uphill. Wow.
Haven't they caused enough of a problem already today?

It is possible to gently 'pour' them in, and then bump the box (NOT against the hive!) to move the stragglers. You don't have to get every last one inside, you can leave the box at the hive entrance and watch the rearguard walk in ...

If you have a frame of used but empty comb (deep or shallow, no matter for now) put that in the box before the bees. Add the foundation frames -gently- after the bees.

Swift but smooth, don't mess them about or delay getting the lid on. You want them to settle, so strictly minimise disturbance for a couple of days minimum.

 

[Curley]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

Bees transferred now - tipped them in with very little fuss. Time will tell whether they decide to stay I guess.

The buddleja had been hard pruned in late winter and is pretty dense. Removing enough of it to be to knock it into a box would have meant chopping the large part of it down as the swarm was in the centre and spread over at least 12 stems. In hindsight, lighting the smoker and trying to persuade the cluster to one side may have been the way to go.

Didn't have a lot of success with pouring the bees but inverting the box over the hive and one sharp tap dislodged 90% of them. A couple of taps moved most of the rest and the box was left outside the hive entrance for the remainder to make their own way.

 

[jonnybeegood]

I hived a large swarm yesterday into a full size hive of foundation & 1 frame half drawn. I though i would try walkjng them in, it all went great untill when half the bees were in, they started pouring out again, swarmkng on the front of the hive. Miraculously i spotted the virgin Q, picked her up & put her in a cage & blocked it with candy, i put her in the hive & they all went back in. I put a Qe on the entrance. I took that off late last night in the dark & theyre still there today. Fingers crossed.