Getting closer!

[Juststarting]

Having got a swarm last week that absconded before I collected the skep in the evening, yesterday I collected another swarm that was extremely cold and hungry. They were too cold and exhausted to even walk into skep or hive so I had to literally sccop them in. Anyway I dribbled some sugar solution on the slightly drawn foundation I had and balanced the bees on until they clung on so they werent isolated on floor of hive. Dummied the hive down to 6 frames (ample for number of bees) and gave a feeder

Didnt see queen so couldnt see if she was a virgin or not but closed entrance down to one bee space. Pleased with my efforts I went to check at lunch time today once rain had stopped - again all gone ! A search of local vacinity didnt help find them.

Oh well you lose some and you lose some!

 

[Tom Bick]

Bad luck especially after all your effort to help them.

Hope you get one soon

 

[beeno]

So sorry to hear that. Please do what I, pro bee farmers in German video do and as advised by Michael Bush. Shut them in for three days. Third day let them out for cleansing flights after 1800hrs. They will not abscond then. Fit a Q includer as they will not go anywhere without the queen, but only to see if they want to go. You may have a virgin in there who needs mating. Hope you get another chance soon.

 

[Rich0909]

Absconding can be prevented in most cases - I place the skep on a framed queen excluder raised off the ground on improvised feet and once most of the bees are in take out the prop holding the edge of the skep up so the rim is flush on the QE, foragers and scouts can then pass in and out via the QE but most queens cannot leave, thin virgins may do! Once hived I pin a piece of old slotted QE over the entrance for the first 3-4 days, or a QE between the floor and brood box works equally well. Cuts down losses to almost nil.

Rich.

 

[Juststarting]

Thanks I'll try the QE tip if I get another chance. I was just worried about preventing a virgin queen going on a mating flight but I suppose delaying her a day or two is better than losing them altogether.