Got my first swarm today

[thebhoy]

As the title says....got my first swarm today came home from work tonight to find one had decided to make home in a spare brood box that was in my garden.
Hopefully they will stay put, currently looking at 5 seams all working away cleaning the frames, box etc... I will move into a clean hive at the weekend, fresh frames, foundation and feed if all goes well and after a few days move to one of my apiaries
Happy days for me....hopefully

 

[Eyeman]

Hi
Always nice to see a swarm take up residency in a hive/bait box rather than someones chimney / airbricks etc.
Was the brood box there as a bait hive or had you forgotten to close it up?
Alec

 

[DerbyBee]

Noticed a few scout bees checking out my bait box yesterday. Maybe some bees will swarm soon and take up residency

 

[BrianO]

Well Done You !

Make sure you dont lose them, they dont abscond, if they have stared drawing out, cleaning up and you whack threm into a new box with fresh foundation might very well Bugger Off, as happened to me before.

 

[thebhoy]

Bees still there and working hard cleaning up tops of frames, box etc...just been sitting watching them coming and going.

Two brood boxes had been sitting one on top of the other all Winter and I was going to strip wax out of frames...had done one box end of year but hadn't done the other. Had reversed the boxes last week and pulled a few frames to look at the wax, one hadn't gone back in right and the board I had on top was left leaving a gap.

Will suit up and check them tomorrow, take the six frames they appear to be using, reduce if I can and add more frames of foundation, will feed for a week then move into a fresher hive and feed them over the next couple of weeks.

But then again, depending how the check goes I may just transfer them tomorrow

 

[BeeJayBee]

Brilliant! It's fantastic when that happens.

 

[misterbee82]

Splendid, hope they stick around and you get a lot of enjoyment out of watching them and possibly producing some excellent honey by the end of the season at the latest.

 

[For want of a better word]

As with all swarms of unknown origin... keep them isolated for a couple of brood cycles and check for any problems such as varroa transmitted viral diseases, and EFB and ( hopefully not AFB)
ANYTHING you are not too sure about with the brood or laying pattern... contact your local SBI.

We had bees in Wallington / Carshalton /Banstead , and it was a surprise how many beekeepers there were in a relatively urban area.

Yeghes da

 

[Norvic_chris]

As with all swarms of unknown origin... keep them isolated for a couple of brood cycles and check for any problems such as varroa transmitted viral diseases, and EFB and ( hopefully not AFB)
ANYTHING you are not too sure about with the brood or laying pattern... contact your local SBI.

We had bees in Wallington / Carshalton /Banstead , and it was a surprise how many beekeepers there were in a relatively urban area.

Yeghes da

Sound advice! Just a quick question though -- what's the simplest way of moving the bait-hive swarm into the main apiary, when the apiary is only about 30m away from the bait hive (all in my garden)? My thought was that if I moved them almost immediately (ignoring your sound advice!) then they might take to their new but nearby home; if I leave it a couple of brood cycles then I would have to move them miles away before bringing them back, which is not very practical. And the bait hive is on the shed roof, so not a good place to get at (well, it seemed a brilliant idea before there were bees in it!).

It was only minutes ago that I saw this swarm take up residence in my bait hive -- the bees were just going in as I was going out to clean it up and remove the old frames because it's been out since last year -- so I'm certain it's not from one of my hives (well, almost certain!)

 

[Erichalfbee]

I used to quarantine swarms; but now I'm not so sure. There is no AFB or EFB in the area, varroa are easily dealt with.
Last swarm I caught in a bait hive was moved to the apiary the same evening and magic grass added. No returnees. Move was about quarter of a mile

 

[Norvic_chris]

"Magic grass"!! Love it.

 

[Eyeman]

I used to quarantine swarms; but now I'm not so sure. There is no AFB or EFB in the area, varroa are easily dealt with.

I occasionally ended up moving a collected swarm into one of my apiaries. Now, as I have the space, I place them in an isolation apiary (my garden). So many new beekeepers starting up, buying in bees from god knows where in the country, and how many of them are registered on beebase?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sound advice! Just a quick question though -- what's the simplest way of moving the bait-hive swarm into the main apiary, when the apiary is only about 30m away from the bait hive (all in my garden)? My thought was that if I moved them almost immediately (ignoring your sound advice!) then they might take to their new but nearby home

If you move them within (I think) 24 hours of the swarm they won't have orientated to their new home so you can move them however near or far as you want.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I occasionally ended up moving a collected swarm into one of my apiaries. Now, as I have the space, I place them in an isolation apiary (my garden). So many new beekeepers starting up, buying in bees from god knows where in the country, and how many of them are registered on beebase?

The incoming swarms I get (repeatedly) from the South almost always settle into the vicinity of my apiary. Last year I had two cluster onto the top of occupied hives. Makes quarantine somewhat worthless.

 

[Norvic_chris]

The incoming swarms I get (repeatedly) from the South almost always settle into the vicinity of my apiary. Last year I had two cluster onto the top of occupied hives. Makes quarantine somewhat worthless.

Thanks all for advice.

I have the same experience most years too. Not sure where they come from but I know they aren't mine (last year my method of swarm control was very effective but quite time-consuming). One of the largest swarms I've found was sitting between and over the bricks on top of a hive. One of the easiest 're-homings' I've ever done!

I'm going to try and grab them from the shed roof tonight, use 'magic grass' and re-site them in my apiary. One worry is that the bait hive has no ventilation, so blocking the entrance could be a problem in this heat. The box is an old WBC brood chamber with plywood screwed to the base and an insulation sheet for the roof. Not conventional, so may be hard to ventilate; potentially a matchstick under the roof will be best or transfer to a proper hive/nuc box. Keen to confine them for more than a day as I really don't want them going back to the old site.

 

[Eyeman]

The incoming swarms I get (repeatedly) from the South almost always settle into the vicinity of my apiary. Last year I had two cluster onto the top of occupied hives. Makes quarantine somewhat worthless.

I suspect attitudes are changed by experience. Fortunately I've not had any of of the foul broodsin my apiaries: those unfortunates I know that have now takes all aspects of biosecurity seriously.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks all for advice.

I have the same experience most years too. Not sure where they come from but I know they aren't mine (last year my method of swarm control was very effective but quite time-consuming). One of the largest swarms I've found was sitting between and over the bricks on top of a hive. One of the easiest 're-homings' I've ever done!

I'm going to try and grab them from the shed roof tonight, use 'magic grass' and re-site them in my apiary. One worry is that the bait hive has no ventilation, so blocking the entrance could be a problem in this heat. The box is an old WBC brood chamber with plywood screwed to the base and an insulation sheet for the roof. Not conventional, so may be hard to ventilate; potentially a matchstick under the roof will be best or transfer to a proper hive/nuc box. Keen to confine them for more than a day as I really don't want them going back to the old site.

I wouldn't bother shutting them in for a day at all. Close them up tonight with a substantial grass plug and move them straight away. You ARE allowed to use a matchstick or few under your crown board in this instance, you know.

 

[misterbee82]

I would transfer them quickly, then get an SBI there to check the swarm/hive for signs of problems. If there are any issues you could then have a headstart on starting treatment for them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

get an SBI there to check the swarm/hive for signs of problems.

Apart from varroa, what would you look for in the absence of brood?

 

[misterbee82]

Other than varroa, you'd probably have to take the risk of the possibility of EFB or AFB until the first brood is produced. But hopefully they're extremely healthy.