Have I 'won' or not

[amandaj57]

Despite my best efforts, my largest hive has swarmed today.
It landed about 6m from the original hive and spread all over a gate and gate post (no nice textbook cluster from my bees).
The only way I could think of to try to collect them was to balance a hive with roof (thankfully got a poly one free so nice and light) over them with some comb in it and try to encourage them to move up into it.
Sweeping bees uphill doesn't really work so I thought a bit of gentle herding with light smoke might help.
I was obviously a bit heavy handed and about half the bees took off and promptly went back to the original hive, fanned like mad and slowly went back in)
I eventually encouraged most of the bees left into the hive but with a fair clump attached to the gatepost. Eventually I just had to plonk it on the hive floor (with the entrance blocked) and hope for the best. The remaining bees on the post took off and again returned to the original hive and repeated the fanning.
My concern now is will they all try to run away from home again tomorrow or have they had their wanderlust satisfied and what do I do with the hive with the entrance blocked. It contains, presumably the old queen and about a quarter of the bees that originally swarmed. If I just open it now will it encourage any of the other bees out again.

I am not sure whether I have come out better or worse after their shennanigans.

 

[Bear]

Well I’m not 100% sure what you mean. If you believe the swarm has returned to its hive then remove the queen, couple of frames, clump of bees and make a nuc. Or cut a piece of queen excluder and fit that over the hive entrance and the bees can go freely but the queen can’t. But be warned tho, this only works 3 times. If the queen can’t leave after the 3rd time the bees will kill her as they think there is something wrong with her. Now I’ve never experienced that but when I did mention about covering the entrance with a queen excluder an experienced beekeeper told me she’d be killed after the 3rd attempt. I used to put a queen excluder over the entrance to any hive I though was about to swarm when I’d be away at work.

 

[amandaj57]

I think I am just a bit anxious that the bees from the original hive will give it another go tomorrow. The old queen is effectively in a nucleus hive and I don't know whether they bees that returned to the original hive will try to join her when I open the entrance.

At the moment I feel I have the equivalent of a small split with most of the stores returned to the hive which feels a positive outcome. I am just concerned I am celebrating too soon and the little monsters will have the last laugh tomorrow.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have you found the queen in the nuc?

 

[enrico]

You need to know if the queen is in the hive or in the nuc. Without that knowledge you can't do much. You need the queen in the nuc already or put there by you. or you need to do a simple pagden. And add the bees in the nuc to one of them!
E

 

[Polyanwood]

You have won the battle, but not the war, and are not yet on track to. You have not lost the bees today - Yay! - BUT they are still in swarm mode and will give swarming another go soon, probably tomorrow. Ideally before 11am, unless it is cool and rainy.....
Find the queen ( there are probaly at least 2 in the swarming hive, albeit one might be in a sealed QC) and either squish her or rehouse her separately is the way to stop them swarming.

 

[amandaj57]

just been down to put chicks and ducks away so stopped by the hives. The one that swarmed and went back is positively roaring.
Ho hum, more problems ahead I think.

 

[Bear]

just been down to put chicks and ducks away so stopped by the hives. The one that swarmed and went back is positively roaring.
Ho hum, more problems ahead I think.

Welcome to the world of beekeeping!! And people question why “home made” honey is more expensive than supermarket.