HELP! Advice! I think a swarm has turned up in my "hive"

[einsteinagogo]

Okay, so I'm a newbie Beekeeper, which has done several courses, on keeping bees, but I wait to actually acquire some this year. Have worked with Mentors, and friends with their bees.

Until I think today....a friend of mine, gave up and depostied an empty brood box, hive excluder, four supers, hive top on a wooden pallet on my drive. I was going to flame and clean, before relocating to our allotment site (another thread). This hive has no floor, no cover board.

I noticed today, honey bees, around a nucleus box in my garden, which I have flamed, cleaned, and put in new brood comb, I've not been feeling to well today, so have rested all afternoon, with my feet up.

I heard a lound humbing through the privet hedge, I thought there was a swarm in the hedge, only to find many bees, flying about the "hive components" on the palet on the drive, not too good, because you would have to walk past to get to our cars! Went to inspect, and I can here a very loud humb coming from within the boxes! (not looked yet!). Waiting for my partner to finish up in the garden, before opening.

Advice please...I already have a complete hive (floor), (roof), (coverboard) on hive no.1,

Q1. Could I just check where the bulk of the bees are on the frames, and if in the brood box, move this box, with excluder in place?

Q2. Ideally, I wanted the bees on my allotment? would it be best to move straight away (allotment is less than 3 miles as the crow flies) or move to my other empty hive in the garden?

Q3. or should I leave a few days? (we can always walk around to our cars?)
Any other advice greatly received, it's been a real surprise!

 

[VEG]

have a look in then if it is a swarm you need to put a floor on them to get them moved

 

[Moggett]

Why not ask an experienced beekeeper to have a look and help you? If there are frames in the supers they could be robbing any remaining stores, however, used uncleaned beehives do attract swarms!

 

[einsteinagogo]

okay, panic over, although many bees are around the hive, even after moving off the drive, approx 200, there is no swarm inside, although this hive, not the other hive I have, is attracting alot of attention, there are no frames of comb in this hive, only a little brace comb, brood frames, but no comb, my friend must have cut out all the comb. It's surprising how much noise 200 bees make buzzing!

gave me chance to get suited again, in the warm weather.

thanks for your replies.

 

[enrico]

Bees will always look at bits left out...make a full hive up, put old frames in if you have any and place near the site that they were checking out today. Remove all other hive bits from the area. Wait and see what happens, there are obviously bees around. They know where there are bee smells, with any luck you will attract a swarm. They are only a swarm if they are till there in the evening! If they ave all gone they were just looking!

 

[einsteinagogo]

Bees will always look at bits left out...make a full hive up, put old frames in if you have any and place near the site that they were checking out today. Remove all other hive bits from the area. Wait and see what happens, there are obviously bees around. They know where there are bee smells, with any luck you will attract a swarm. They are only a swarm if they are till there in the evening! If they ave all gone they were just looking!

As I'm not doing anything with these hives at present, other than need a good clean, before getting some bees, the hive the current bees are interested in, I've added a open mesh floor, and cover board, QE and some frames in the brood box, and super with old drawn out comb, certainly alot more interest today in the hive, many bees going in and out!

Just wait and see what happens.....

Thanks for your comments

 

[thebhoy]

Going by many of the posts re bait hives etc...most appear to advocate have the OMF covered / closed initially.
Just thought I would mention it...and good luck, hopefully you will get a swarm very soon

 

[einsteinagogo]

Going by many of the posts re bait hives etc...most appear to advocate have the OMF covered / closed initially.
Just thought I would mention it...and good luck, hopefully you will get a swarm very soon

Yes, I'd also read that somewhere, so my OMF is also closed at present.

I'll wait and see what turns up!

 

[rockdoc]

Hope you get lucky. Happened to me twice last year when old hives awaiting cleaning took on guests. Sadly I didn't see either arrive. However your visitor bees are just what happened prior to my swarms arriving. Good luck.
PS both of last years swarms are my strongest hives this year.

 

[Oscarmonster]

Sounds more like robbing.

 

[einsteinagogo]

I've not seen the bees again around the hive, but it has been very cold and windy.

It was a warm day today on the Wolds, 18degreesC, so after driving home from work early, I thought I would check on the Hive, if any Bees were visting, and I think a swarm has definately turned-up, guard bees at the entrance, bees flying in and out with pollen. So suited up, I had stacked all 5 supers (don't ask, had now where else suitable!) ontop of the brood box, with QE. Took off, supers one by one carefully, got to the first super, and it was full to the brim with bees, and then started to rain!

Put cover board ontop, put roof on and I've left.

I live in an area currently surround (360 degrees) with OSR, fruit orchards are in flower.

What should I do next? (I know I really need to space the frames correctly to prevent brace comb, I'll get some castellated spacers for the supers. The brood box has metal castellated spacers, and currently a dummy board.

Comments/Suggestions

Do I need to feed?

 

[itma]

If you are surrounded by OSR, you shouldn't need to feed.

I'd suggest a no-hole crownboard above the first super.

Castellations have no place in a brood box. Hoffman frames are sensible. If you don't have hoffmans, get some "hoffman converter clips" that pin onto the frame side bars (£10 gets you enough for 50 frames). And get some rails in the box!

 

[einsteinagogo]

Hives were given to me s/h. I'll check tomorrow, if this has Castellations in the brood box, cannot remember, between the hives that were given to me.

 

[rockdoc]

Congratulations and enjoy

 

[einsteinagogo]

@rockdoc Many Thanks.

Here's a video I shot, (apologies with the zoom, I'm not Spielberg!), it's possible the bees have been in the Hive a few days, because I've not checked it in the last few days!

Swarm of Honey Bees turns up in used Beehive

this was shot quite late, approx 20:30pm, and bees still active at 21:15

 

[VEG]

looking like a busy swarm you got there einstein

 

[einsteinagogo]

looking like a busy swarm you got there einstein

Craig/Thanks

So much "stunted" OSR in this area, my partner has started to suffer with hay fever, and my air mass filter on my turbo diesel, started to play-up again, when I drive, the 3 miles to the main A road. It's thick with the heavy pollen of OSR, you can almost smell "honey in the air", and I was only thinking, it's a shame to let all this OSR go to waste with no bees yet....when you live in the middle of it!

I've no idea, where these bees have come from, I'm not aware of any hives locally at this time.

So I'm hoping for good weather, and they build-up quickly, they seem pleasant enough.

Andrew

 

[BeeJayBee]

Took off, supers one by one carefully, got to the first super, and it was full to the brim with bees,

Fantastic thing to happen. Well done

 

[VEG]

Always nicer to have a swarm arrive than one leave lol

 

[einsteinagogo]

Day 2, 1 minute video (not left)

Honey Bees going into Beehive Day 2

I'll inspect after a week, just to check for eggs and queen (if possible), remove burr/brace comb, and try and tidy-up the frames. Check if they are filling super.