hive capture

[DALEGREEN]

So another swarm in my garden today.
I caaught it in a box and tipped into a nuc but the are not all inside. Do I leave them to it or sweep them in and close it up.

Last one disappeared into the distance before I caught them at all.

 

[pargyle]

If you managed to get the queen in there just put the roof on, leave the entrance open and leave it until it gets dark ... if the queen is in there they will all go in ... if she's not ... well, they will probably head off back to whatever branch they were on and you can do it all again .... tomorrow, if you are lucky ... if you are not then they will be over the hills and far away ....

If they all go in then, once it is dark, you can move them to wherever you want them ..

 

[DALEGREEN]

So here they are an hour later.

If you managed to get the queen in there just put the roof on, leave the entrance open and leave it until it gets dark ... if the queen is in there they will all go in ... if she's not ... well, they will probably head off back to whatever branch they were on and you can do it all again .... tomorrow, if you are lucky ... if you are not then they will be over the hills and far away ....

If they all go in then, once it is dark, you can move them to wherever you want them ..

All in now so I,ll move the nuc to its place tonight. Hopefully thet will be my second hive started. Should they stay in a nuc this year?

 

[pargyle]

So here they are an hour later.
View attachment 31995

All in now so I,ll move the nuc to its place tonight. Hopefully thet will be my second hive started. Should they stay in a nuc this year?

Depends how fast they develop and the size of the swarm ... it's something you will have to gauge as the season draws on. You can always put them into a full size box but dummy it down to how many frames they need ... and overwinter on 7 or 8 frames if you wish - fill the rest of the hive with a block of Kingspan or Celotex.

 

[blackcloud]

If you can't justify the expense to a higher being then you should be able to get a second brood chamber and super for that nuc.
But there's nothing like more hives

 

[LeaBees]

Depends how fast they develop and the size of the swarm ... it's something you will have to gauge as the season draws on. You can always put them into a full size box but dummy it down to how many frames they need ... and overwinter on 7 or 8 frames if you wish - fill the rest of the hive with a block of Kingspan or Celotex.

Is a swarm caught now(ish) unlikely to produce a summer crop ?

 

[pargyle]

Yes they can .. the old adage applies ...

A swarm in May is worth a load of Hay, a Swarm in June is worth a silver spoon, a swarm in July ain't worth a fly ... Don't expect too much of them and make sure if you take a crop they are well fed for winter in the autumn.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is a swarm caught now(ish) unlikely to produce a summer crop ?

Yes likely.
Swarm last year on 19th May gave me two supers plus enough for themselves.

 

[DALEGREEN]

ok so the swarm from saturday seem to be settled in the nuc. I hae ordered a new national box ready to transfer them when ready. Today however I have a new swarm. The bees in the nuc still seen to be in there so this looks like a different swarm. I have no kit at present so I have caught them in a cardboard box with 2 frames of new undrawn foundation. My new kit is due to arrive on Thursday. What are the chances of them staying in the box for 2 days. I have cut an entrance slot. and have another couple of frames I could put in. I was not expecting to expand quite yet. I do not know if the swarms are coming from my one hive or the wild colony under my roof.

 

[Wilco]

I've kept a swarm in a box for a couple of weeks.

Think @rolande did it for a year once? Just make sure they're relatively insulated and it doesn't get soaked and collapse.

 

[DALEGREEN]

I've kept a swarm in a box for a couple of weeks.

Think @rolande did it for a year once? Just make sure they're relatively insulated and it doesn't get soaked and collapse.

I have put on cardboard box inside a second and will lift them up on a stand with a cover over to keep off the rain(if any comes). So sounds like they could stay for long enough for the new kit to arrive.
That will be one hive to three inside a week. Yikes!