Hive being scouted (advice please)

[dpearce4]

Hi

im a newbee.

I bought a couple of old hives from a gent on here back in jan, i have cleaned them up and built nice stands and everything for them. I built new frames for the Brood box and put wax in them. I am on my associations list for a swarm.

But i was cleaning out my chickens today and noticed that there were a few bees looking at the hive. I watched it for a good hour (sorry chickens will finnish cleaning you tomorrow lol) and watched a few bees come and go.

Now am i right is my hive beeing scouted by bees looking for a new home? and if they do decide to take up residence will i need to feed them.

I have read a few threads about people using hives as bait hives and it all seems as clear as set honey to me lol.

any adivce would be gratefully recieved.

thanks in advance.

 

[Silly Bee]

They could be looking for a new home. Wait and see. If they do move in, I'd feed them for a while until they get established.

 

[terryme]

Expecting to be shot down as I am a new beek and haven't had a swarm so total theory gleaned from (mostly here) more experienced people - consider putting a QE under the hive once the swarm is in to keep the Q in hopefully (though as she is skinny for flight it may not work), don't feed for three ish days so they use up their carried stores and start to build wax as this helps to decrease any nasties (nosema) they may be carrying. Good luck

 

[For want of a better word]

Resist the urge to have a quick peek for at least 7 days, and then in early evening as the sun sets so the little girls don't thingk you are a great grizzly bear looking for his supper!

 

[Tom Bick]

If it is scout bees the activity may continue for five days or more or even just arrive today its hard to say.

My advice is to think about it they are swarming and pre-selecting a new home and will arrive fully equipped to set up home so in my opinion don’t feed.

Also as they are selecting your hive if this is the case and not going to be walked in or dropped in after first been collected from a tree, bush, fence ect then they will be less likely to want to leave after arrival so it will be best in my opinion to just let them get on with it and disturbance just may make them up and leave.

At the end of the day its your call we all seem to it different. Its all a bit a gamble and exiting when it happens.

 

[MuswellMetro]

rub a rind of a lemon on the front and also some geranium leaves ( not red pelagolums but true geraniums)

and wait, you could be lucky

older smelly brood frame in there would have helped them find it

 

[dpearce4]

Hi guys

thank you all for advice.

I have been sitting in the garden enjoying the spring sun watching bees come and go. I know its not a swarm as yet but definatly getting ones and twos looking at the same time. how sad is this im even timing how long they spen inside the hive.

all i have done to the hive is fill the brood box with foundation. there is also a super ontop which has frames with foundation in it to.

I am going to go outside and pick a lemon from my bush and give it a rub on the front of the hive by the entrance now to as that seems to be a bit of consensus. i wish i hadnt got rid of all the old frames with comb in now (mind you it was really dirty wax).

i will let you all know if i get the bees im really hoping.

 

[dpearce4]

another question i have about this. if the bees decide to make my hive their home, will thier arrival be as spectacular as if they were just swarming.

darkening sky, loud buzzing noise. you know the thing, the neibours thinking that the world might end stuff (i hope so will look spectacular)

or will it be boring few hundred at a time.

 

[MJBee]

This is what an arriving swarm looks like:-

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5477&highlight=incoming

That was last year, I got another one this year - same place same hive

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

lemon rind

rub a rind of a lemon on the front and also some geranium leaves ( not red pelagolums but true geraniums)

and wait, you could be lucky

older smelly brood frame in there would have helped them find it

Muswell, can you explain the use of the lemon rind and geraium please.

Regards
dave W

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi guys

thank you all for advice.

I have been sitting in the garden enjoying the spring sun watching bees come and go. I know its not a swarm as yet but definatly getting ones and twos looking at the same time. how sad is this im even timing how long they spen inside the hive.

all i have done to the hive is fill the brood box with foundation. there is also a super ontop which has frames with foundation in it to. I am going to go outside and pick a lemon from my bush and give it a rub on the front of the hive by the entrance now to as that seems to be a bit of consensus. i wish i hadnt got rid of all the old frames with comb in now (mind you it was really dirty wax).

i will let you all know if i get the bees im really hoping.

A Super on top that just may perhaps make the hive to big a space for them.

Science and experience will say they like a space of 40L or approx a Standard British National BB your Commercial BB is larger than the National and perhaps ok on its own but with the super on the scout bees may just decide its to big.

The bees may completely disregard what I have mentioned and move in all the same but perhaps you may be best if you remove the Super or fit a crown board over the BB and under the super with the feed hole blocked this way the hive will look the same to the bees the next day.

Good look

 

[dpearce4]

thanks for that.

what i have now done is put the crown board under the super above the queen excluder and put a second one ontop of the super so the smell is still there but the bees cant get into it.

is that better?

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes sort of did you block the feed hole or the porter bee escape holes in the crown board over the bb so the bees have no access to the super?

No need for the queen excluder and the 2nd crown board over the super no need for that with the roof on and the first crown boards holes blocked no bee should have access to the super.

 

[dpearce4]

hiya

yep blocked the feed hole so no access to the super. the bees had been looking at going in thro the roof with the side space just put a second crown board ontop just incase there was a gap they could get thro as the hive is secondhand and a little old.

first day back at work today after 2weeks off. Great life teaching!!! had 2 weeks of purfect weather while off. shame the caretaker didnt look after the polytunnel like they said they would. 35ft x 14ft of dead seedlings!!! wat a waste that was kids went spare as they planted them.

i got home this evening and the first thing i did was see if i had bees. not yet

im trying to convince the head that hives would be good for work to but if she says yes will look at next year to move some in.

 

[dpearce4]

hiya

just an update and Q?. i managed to buy some lemongrass oil today from holland and barrett as boots was out of stock. have been at work for the last few days so wasnt able to look hive during the day to see if any activity with scouts. watched and had a quick look and there wasnt so had a sort out of how i wanted the hive to be. changed the floor back to a normal opening from small and put some drops of oil inside on the frames, on the floor and also at the entrance.

i left it alone while i sorted out some other frames for another hive i have in the garden, also empty. went back to look round lunch time and there were about 20 bees round both hives in and out of them. left the hives alone went and watched a bit of tv Tour of Turkey on eurosport.

Went back about 15mins ago and watched in amazement as there was a real punch up going on between to bees at the entrance. stabbing with stings and alsorts. amazed by it. it was already going on when i went down and went on for atleast 10mins while i watched. all the time there were a few other bees coming and going. now i know the hive isnt full as i havent seen a swarm since i put the lemongrass oil in.

but my question is why was one bee attacking the other if there isnt bees in there. does it mean that there is one on its way? and she was a guard stationed to keep others out?

any suggestions guys please?

 

[Tom Bick]

I had a similar thing with my bait hive after a couple of days of regular scout activity it all changed and the next three before the swarm actually arrived it looked like fighting at the entrance a lot of defensive pushing and the occasional full on fight. I came to the conclusion one lot of scout bees were defending the hive over another group.

 

[dpearce4]

cool sounds good.

i have a second brood box about 5ft from the other now and that 1 is being scouted to.

could i be really lucky and get 2 swarms?

 

[dpearce4]

just been down the garden. must be a good 100 200 bees around the 2 hives. full on punch ups going on in the entrence of both even to the point where bees are rolling onto the floor infront with each other without stopping the fights. god didnt realise it could get that violent

 

[MJBee]

Did you overdo the lemon grass oil? They could be hyper/high on the fumes

 

[dpearce4]

must have, mind you only put 10 drops in each plus there is new foundation in there.

mind you went down there about 30 mins ago knelt down and looked through the entrance and could see a few bees in both. not many maybe 2 or 3. does that mean they have chosen it and the swarm will arrive tomorrow?

also there are a few dead bees on the floor infront of the hives. said it was voilent must have been a few stabbings lol just like my local town on a sat night.