First swarm captured - Woo hoo!

[sean-a]

I have a couple of hives in the garden but came back this afternoon to a mass of bees buzzing around the hedge with a cluster at the top of the hedge.

I have shaken the bees into an empty nuc box and put a frame of brood into the box, the rest of the bees have moved into the nuc so I am feeling quite pleased.

Plan to move the bees to a new location this evening and put a queen excluder under the brood box.

Planning to give them a couple of litres of sugar syrup tonight too.

 

[mintmoth]

Were they your bees that swarmed then?

 

[sean-a]

Possibly!

I checked the hives this weekend there were no queen cells in evidence in my hives but I have possibly missed one though.

 

[sean-a]

Just transferred them from the nuc box and installed them in a hive.
Five frames pretty full of bees

 

[Curly green fingers]

Just transferred them from the nuc box and installed them in a hive.
Five frames pretty full of bees

What this time of night

 

[Uncle Betty]

I have a couple of hives in the garden but came back this afternoon to a mass of bees buzzing around the hedge with a cluster at the top of the hedge.

I have shaken the bees into an empty nuc box and put a frame of brood into the box, the rest of the bees have moved into the nuc so I am feeling quite pleased.

Plan to move the bees to a new location this evening and put a queen excluder under the brood box.

Planning to give them a couple of litres of sugar syrup tonight too.

It isn't universally advised to feed a swarm, at least for a few days.

From the Dave Cushman site...

A swarm takes a supply of nectar/honey with them. If this is infected with foul brood, they will store it in comb if that is what they are hived on, so keeping the infection going in the new colony. To greatly reduce the chances of infection I advise hiving a swarm on foundation and not feeding for at least 3-4 days. I rarely find swarms need feeding anyway, so I don't do it.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/hivingswarm.html

Just an FYI.

 

[Eyeman]

Possibly!

I checked the hives this weekend there were no queen cells in evidence in my hives but I have possibly missed one though.

Worth going through your hives again to check for queens cells. If the swarm came from one of your colonies you will need to reduce the number of queen cells to one- better to leave one that is still uncapped with a nice big larave hence checking your hives sooner rather than later!

 

[sean-a]

Worth going through your hives again to check for queens cells. If the swarm came from one of your colonies you will need to reduce the number of queen cells to one- better to leave one that is still uncapped with a nice big larave hence checking your hives sooner rather than later!

Thanks for the tip Eyeman.
I will have a ganders now.