Deep end or what! swarmed today!

[Drinkstone]

Some of you may know got my first bees last week and we have had discussion on steep learnin curves with the consensus of opinion being as I have an expert to hand to go for it!
Today I walked up and saw lots of activity at both hives, nice good natured activity. Then I noticed bees congregating under a bramble bush......yes they have swarmed! My mentor not being available I suited up lit the smoker (which promptly went out) and went up to the bush armed with a plastic box and a nuc box, plastic box took most bees with bramble branch's cut with secateurs,then put frames in nuc box a smoked bees into box. Opened plastic box turned over the nuc box and shook each piece of bramble into box. Result I have lots of bees in the nuc box, four hours later there is lots of activity round the nuc box so question is have I got the queen in there? Any ideas or is there anything else I should try please?

 

[tonybloke]

have you left the nuc box very near to the site where they swarmed to? if not, please move it under the hawthorn, and wait until tonight to move the nuc box.

 

[Drinkstone]

Hi Tony, yes very near and I had thought to move it later tonight by which time I will have spoken to my mentor as well.

 

[Cazza]

Hi Drinkstone
If the bees have stayed in the box then the queen will be in there too. If you saw fanning at the box entrance and smelt lemon the signs are good.
All this talk of swarms is making me nervous as it's not been warm enough for me to open up and I have some big colonies at the moment. Gulp.

I was in Haughley today so wasn't far away from you I guess.
Cazza

 

[VEG]

you did good drinkstone.

 

[Swarm]

Agreed, you handled the situation well.

I'd like to know what kind of activity? You mention lots of activity around the nuc, do they appear to be leaving? They don't always stay put and can simply pile back out and scoot. Some may congregate at the spot they swarmed to so some sort of masking scent can be used to try to prevent this.
You will soon know, hope you've been successful.

 

[psafloyd]

Well done, but make sure you practice lighting your smoker...

 

[Drinkstone]

There is minimal activity now, same as the main hives, but certainly not deserted and not gone back to pick up point which is only a few feet away, if the weather is good tomorrow we will know for sure.

 

[rae]

Putting a frame of brood in tends to pin them in the box. They are unlikely to abandon brood.

 

[Swarm]

Sounds like a success then With normal activity it sounds like they've settled. Well done!!

 

[Liam C Ryan]

Is it to early for a new queen to get mated, are there drone flying this early?

 

[drex]

Hi Drinkstone,

Hope you have managed to get hold of Giles, your mentor, however you have done very well so far.

You need to establish if these are your bees that have swarmed by looking at your own hives or a swarm from outside. When did you last inspect and did you see any queen cells at that time, and was HM marked? I would not expect a swarm to hang up quite so close to the original hive though.

Whatever you still have them, so no need to panic, as they are nice and cosy in their own nuc. Hope you have some spare boxes in which you can put them, eventually.

Absconding is a small worry, but as suggested earlier if you pop in a frame of brood that will hold them there

 

[BBG]

Same here - OH insisted we go to see bees at Ap2 as felt unsettled and voila:

On its side due to too great a size - sorry.

 

[Alphakillpestie]

Well I picked these up on Tuesday, I did find some drones with them

 

[BBG]

All in BeeBox and taken away in an hour and ten mins to OSR shangrila. Bees liked the white suit in evening sun too

 

[beesleybees]

are all you swarm collector members of bbka??

just woundering as im egarly waiting for some phone calls or 2 for swarm collection. I want more hives so need more bees lol

how do people get your contact number??

 

[BBG]

Register with LA EVERY Year

Old Beekeepers are established with LA and you may find you end up with the "they're in the roofspace" ones as the old beek is busy with something else

Go round every 2 doors and put in "I collect swarms" leaflets.

The swarm was ours - shame on us! - Beekeeping needs your attention continually from now to the end of the year and we tried to skip inspection due to cold weather (lousy excuse) and have paid the price

 

[Dishmop]

as it's not been warm enough for me to open up and I have some big colonies at the moment. Gulp.

Same here in Norwich. I thought it was supposed to be crap weather on Tuesday so made other plans and its turned out the best day of the week so far.

I want to open mine up and get them into new hives and syphon some off into nucs.
This time last year my obs hive was overflowing and I had to split it. Its now starting to build up and will have to be split before long.

 

[Dishmop]

A bee slide.? Were they having a day out from the Wendy Hive?

 

[Cazza]

Hi Drinkstone,
I would not expect a swarm to hang up quite so close to the original hive though.

I beg to differ.
If mine abscond they tend to conveniently hang on my dwarf plum trees about 10 yards from my apiary. The cluster is then handily placed about 4 feet up from the ground.
Cazza