I am 99.99% sure I'm not. And definitely not if there were no brood after, say, four days.
I said there were eggs 2-3 days after swarm. Subsequent inspections of what I thought was the parent colony convince me that this was the colony that swarmed and that a small prime swarm was lost. I can't be certain just by looking at numbers of bees however but the timings, status of queen cells and lack of hatched QC are strong evidence.
When I think about the dummying down it confuses me a bit I actually use dividers, but the term often confuses inexperienced beeks.
FWIW I find 'dummying down' seems a better description as dividing suggests, to me at least, that you're splitting a colony.
I'm pretty sure I've read in several places that a swarm should be fed asap.I'm pretty sure you haven't or you need to improve your choice of reading material. I am absolutely sure I have read about not feeding a swarm for the first three days.
This was an off the top of my head comment. Save for the unknown origin swarm, my assessment that there are no hazards associated with feeding a swarm asap wasn't ridiculous. I can't be bothered going through books and you're probably right but to quote from the Comb Management booklet produced by the Welsh Government (I don't know who wrote this but they're obviously intelligent, experienced, have a voice and opinions) "It is good practice to give a swarm about 24 hours to settle in before it is fed". So I jumped the gun a bit, I will know for next time.
Excuse me, but what is pollen if it's not forage? Were all the returning bees carrying pollen, and if not what would you think they were doing?
I don't know why but I see forage as nectar and pollen as pollen i.e. separate things. Sounds like I've made this differentiation up, my mistake. There are numerous bees coming back with 'nothing', I'm assuming they're carrying nectar and just not loaded with pollen. The 'what would you think they were doing' comment wasn't constructive at all.
I guess I'm confused Correct, you are.
In the context of my questions this just reads in a really patronising way. I can't remember every nuance of what I've studied / read about bees. For me a play cup with a larva is just that, it's only when they build it out and it gains texture etc that it becomes a QC. Surely not all filled play cups become QCs? Again I've maybe made assumptions but there's some basis for them and your apparent put down was needless.
My point on dating the QCs was that once they're sealed you can't say when they were made if you didn't note their appearance during the initial stages of QC building. Very simple, they likely swarmed when the first was capped. They do not normally swarm before and only 'some time afterwards' if the weather is inclement.
Good info.
I'd 'disturb' them to check on space. Is that not reason enough?
C'mon, you had already stated they were cramped. How many times do you need to check?
There is a difference between looking down from above and lifting frames out to see what's actually going on.
On June 6th you wrote: I've just hived a swarm Now we find out that it would appear to have swarmed on the June 2nd. Times are important information and it only likely misleads if they are not as indicated.
Use of the present perfect refers to a recently completed action that relates to the present; I didn't hive the swarm on the 6th, it was earlier that week, the 6th was your assumption. I don't know where you got the 2nd from.
Also, does a swarm not just want some time to settle, surely shifting them around makes them think they've found a pretty rubbish new home? I did not suggest that at all. All I said was to give them more spacious accommodation. Just like hiving a newly purchased nucleus colony.
Lifting the frames out of a nuc and putting them into a national seems like shifting them around to me.
I've now spent far too much time on this thread. I'll now leave you to consider all the missed observations and go and look to see who else needs help.
You're so kind! Thanks for deigning to even reply.