Dog catches car... Now what?

[Roger.Wilco]

I (think) I might have caught a swarm in a spare NUC - now what? What are the best practices? I only put out the NUC a week ago - and didn't expect any activity - so I've been caught unawares.

Are there any rules of thumb regarding how soon after they move in - to have a peek? to move them? Or when to feed? Or medicate for varroa?

I'm dying for a peek - but would it be best not to disturb for a week to make sure if she is a virgin queen that she is mated?

I'm guessing they moved in Sat/Sun - how soon should they be moved? I'm guessing that they have now located to their new home? So I'm assuming that any subsquent move will need to be >3+miles.

As any move >3+miles will need to go to a shared apairy - would it be best to wait to see brood to make sure the swarm isn't carrying any nasties?

When I first noticed *a-lot* of activity in & around the NUC late Sun - there was a lot of fighting on the landing board? Why would this be? Activity this morning looks normal & orderly for a typical hive.

I've observered Drones entering and leaving the NUC - do drones fly with a swarm?

 

[Anduril]

They could have been moved the evening they were caught if you had an isolation apiary. Feed them after 3 days and when brood is being capped look at the open cells and capped cells for disease. Once you are happy they are disease free move them to your shared apiary.

 

[ericbeaumont]

do drones fly with a swarm?

Yes.

best not to disturb for a week

Quiet look early or late in the day will do no harm. Avoid the middle of the day, when she may be out mating.

 

[enrico]

You say you think..... Go after dusk and see if the box is heavy or if there is a good buzz from inside when you tap it. If there was any food in any of the comb you had in there you can get many robbers that look as though the hive has permanent bees.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

You say you think.....

In my defense - I've not caught a swarm before - didn't expect to - and hadn't considered it. It is a case of "lets see what happens?".

Regarding robbers - you might have a point. But with only new foundation frames - I wouldn't expect there is much to rob?

The back story...

• (08/6) Needed a NUC elsewhere - pulled the poly-NUC out of packing on the rear house patio and installed a couple of foundation frames. Within a short time the NUC had frenzied activity in & around. Couldn't leave the NUC on the house patio so decided to put it on-top of the garden shed to let them dispurse. Activity had died down by the next day.
• (~13/6) More frames arrived mid-week so took the NUC down and peeked inside and it was empty; added additional frames. Put it back on the garden shed roof as a case of "lets see what happens?".
• (16/6) Went to take the NUC down to transport elsewhere late Sun and there was *a-lot* of activity around the NUC including fighting on the landing board. At the time I left them to it.
• (18/6) Today the landing board & flight traffic looks like any other hive. Busy but orderly.

I'm dying to have a peek - but wished to cause the least harm if a swarm had indeed taken residence.

 

[Anduril]

The fighting on the landing board, would be 2 rival hives looking for a suitable home.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

The fighting on the landing board, would be 2 rival hives looking for a suitable home.

I tried to get a video of the fighting - it definitely wasn't gentle.
Bees dragging other bees by the legs, bees throwing bees off the ledge, what seemed like bees biting bees and actions like a submissive dog: hunching down and curling the abdomen under.

As a newbee - I have to say that so far it really has been an education.

 

[ericbeaumont]

cause the least harm if a swarm had indeed taken residence.

You will cause no harm, even if you had opened it the day it moved in or any day since. I'd rather not lie awake wondering any longer, so please have a look.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

My tribe from the Antipodes arrived Wed - so time was in short supply until yesterday late afternoon (17:30ish) when I finally had the space to take a peek in the NUC approx. 6days after I think the swarm arrived. It was (mostly) full of bees - so definitely a swarm.



I figured that doing the peek at ground level was better than trying to do so up a ladder - so brought the NUC down from the roof of the garden shed. Which was fortuitous as all the flyers left the NUC reducing numbers and buzzed the shed roof or settled on the shed roof well above head height.

On an aside - If this NUC on garden shed roof becomes a permanent fixture - I think I might try to rig a derrick in the near future as loosing the flyers during an inspection seems like a good idea?

As this was never expected - I used the peek to change from the Deep National frames I had originally installed mid-week to newly arrived 14x12 frames that I use elsewhere. So it was quite disruptive on the colony. Moved the original frames to a cortex box and added the recently arrived 14x12 frames - then re-added some of the Deep National frames (for now). Then poured the bees from the cortex box back into the NUC. Then feed syrup to give them a kickstart.

I didn't see any eggs during this peek and frame change (I was trying to be quick rather than thorough). They had filled much of what they had drawn including some crazy-comb with nectar and pollen. Will give them a fortnight now and see how they get on.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

Some abridged/edited video from the saga (hopefully this will work?)...

(08/06) The interest shown by roaming bees when the NUC was first out on the back house patio.
View attachment petal_20240623_100517.mp4

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(08/06) Even when the NUC was removed from the patio - still a lot of interest shown.
View attachment petal_20240623_100457.mp4

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(08/06) With the NUC moved to the garden shed roof - still a bit of interest shown initially.
View attachment petal_20240623_100437.mp4

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(16/06) edited video 1st 10sec: showing example of wrestling; and 2nd 10sec: example of submission from the day I think the swarm moved in.
View attachment petal_20240623_124425.mp4

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(22/06) Activity around the NUC after yesterday's peek & frame change.
View attachment petal_20240623_100259.mp4

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