Found a swarm

[JohnnyD]

Hi All

I found a small swarm last night with a queen i think, i put them in a spare brood box with frames last night, and they seem really lethargic today, no entry/exit to hive, is there anything i can do like put a frame from my other hive in there to get them going ?

JD

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes a frame with stores will help or even some syrup.

 

[JohnnyD]

do you mean a frame from a super, or a brood frame from the other hive ?

Yes a frame with stores will help or even some syrup.

 

[buzz lightyear]

I'd think brood. Otherwise they will draw brace from the bottom of the frame. You might think about oxalic acid, if they are not your bees and don't know about their varroa treatment hisory.
Regards, Buzz

 

[oliver90owner]

What do you mean by 'small', 'frames', 'no entry/exit to hive'.-
Any history to the swarm?
Weather at present?

All may help. If no stores some feed is necessary. They won't draw comb if too cold (large box, poor weather and few bees).

If a solid floor and the hive entrance is closed they may well just huddle in the dark!

 

[JohnnyD]

i would guess a couple of hundred bees and a queen, i mean they are ot flying out of the hive, they just seem huddled in a bunch and moving really slow, its quite warm here ATM 18 degrees outside, no history, i just found it in a tree in central Bristol yesterday

What do you mean by 'small', 'frames', 'no entry/exit to hive'.-
Any history to the swarm?
Weather at present?

All may help. If no stores some feed is necessary. They won't draw comb if too cold (large box, poor weather and few bees).

If a solid floor and the hive entrance is closed they may well just huddle in the dark!

 

[oliver90owner]

200 bees is not viable. There may not even be a queen there if it happens to be the left-overs (a cluster, not a swarm) from a collected swarm, or even one dispersed by park emplyees. They would be trying to keep the queen (and themseves) warm until they expire.

 

[Tom Bick]

When mating nucs abscond where do they go?

Just a thought?

 

[thurrock bees]

i would just give them some good feed, with the weather as it is, they would use it to pull the wax out and store the feed for food.

 

[JohnnyD]

HELP......The newly aquired swarm was a little active today, but now my other hive is going crazy with loads of bees flying around it, and loads gathered at entrance, is this just a coincidence, or are my bees about to swarm off?

JD

i would just give them some good feed, with the weather as it is, they would use it to pull the wax out and store the feed for food.

 

[carbon]

Sounds like they're ready for the off.

 

[JohnnyD]

well all the activity has stopped now, i didn't see them fly off, and all is back to normal (possibly), what was that all about ?

Sounds like they're ready for the off.

 

[susbees]

When did you last go through your hive and what did you find...frames brood...eggs...stores...space....queen cells and their state?

Small cast with a queen needs a mininuc, feed and tlc to be viable....but likely to be left over bees from a collected swarm on a twig that still smells of the boss...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnnyD]

The swarm bees look much darker with big fat dangly legs, if i was to make a guess, these are africanised bees, as opposed to my bees which are much more orange (european bees) can different bees live next to each other ?

JD

 

[The Cumbrian]

I wasn't aware that we had africanised bees in the UK.

I am assuming your location is Chippenham UK

 

[fox403]

Get a photo up big fat dangly legs..

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[JohnnyD]

Here are a few, my other bees are more orange

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62897391@N08/

Get a photo up big fat dangly legs..

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[DarynWebb]

those are drones in your photos..

Here are a few, my other bees are more orange

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62897391@N08/

 

[susbees]

those are drones in your photos..

Definitely drones. Have you done a course or read any recommended books at all? Beekeeping is a big subject and often far from straightforward but a good grasp of the basics helps.

And we don't have africanized bees in the UK.

 

[JohnnyD]

this new swarm is still in my new hive,but i cant see a queen, its been thee a week now, is it worth me taking a brood frame from my main hive with eggs/grubs in it so they can attempt to make a new queen, or is it not that easy ? PS my other hive is chocka even with 3 supers on it.

JD