First year, first swarm...

[Rhyolite]

Yesterday was quite eventful. My hive (a strong nuc I got last year and now with a super) swarmed into the neighbours garden. Three hours later and a hive inspection complete everyone was in a cardboard box for the night.

Purchased a nuc this morning to put them in, feed in the top so waiting to see if they will stay now.

I will need to check the main hive in a few days to see how the queen cells are, (I left two there having recieved mixed advise to leave one or two).

Very eventful 24hours.

 

[B+.]

Yesterday was quite eventful. My hive (a strong nuc I got last year and now with a super) swarmed into the neighbours garden. Three hours later and a hive inspection complete everyone was in a cardboard box for the night.

Purchased a nuc this morning to put them in, feed in the top so waiting to see if they will stay now.

I will need to check the main hive in a few days to see how the queen cells are, (I left two there having recieved mixed advise to leave one or two).

Very eventful 24hours.

I recommend that you don't feed them. However, if you have a frame of brood you can give them from another hive, that will encourage them to stay put.
They gorge themselves with food prior to swarming so their honey-stomach is full. You really want them to use that food to set up your new colony (draw out wax foundation into comb) and this is the perfect time to do it.

 

[ericbeaumont]

left two there having recieved mixed advise to leave one or two.

If you leave two the bees will likely swarm on the first one out.

The idea of leaving two stems from a fear that one may be dud.

Not a bad idea to leave two (or more) until about day 14, because you can go in and make up a nuc with the spare, but only if you know the age of the QCs.

If the bees have taken the time to reinforce a QC with wax ridges then you can be reasonably sure that it's a good cell. If smooth, remove.

Advice without an explanation of outcome must be treated with suspicion.

 

[Rhyolite]

Very good, that's a clear explanation and logic. I have removed the second one today. There is an open queen cell and the original is still there and not smooth. Will check again at the start of June to see if there are eggs.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yesterday was quite eventful. My hive (a strong nuc I got last year and now with a super) swarmed into the neighbours garden. Three hours later and a hive inspection complete everyone was in a cardboard box for the night.

Purchased a nuc this morning to put them in, feed in the top so waiting to see if they will stay now.

I will need to check the main hive in a few days to see how the queen cells are, (I left two there having recieved mixed advise to leave one or two).

Very eventful 24hours.

A nuc will be too small for your swarm. They need a full sized hive.
Leave only one cell in the swarmed hive or they will swarm again. If the one you leave is a dud....unlikely... you have insurance in the old queen.

 

[Rhyolite]

I went back into the original hive yesterday. Removed the second queen cell that I had left from last week. There was an open queen cell there this week as well. Is this normal if there is no queen?

 

[Boston Bees]

I went back into the original hive yesterday. Removed the second queen cell that I had left from last week. There was an open queen cell there this week as well. Is this normal if there is no queen?

The bees disagree with the advice to only leave one queen cell. They like insurance (and they like to swarm too, which having more than one queen cell allows)