How common is it for newly-hived swarms to depart?

[Talking With Bees]

Not sure I am qualified to post here!!

How common is it for bees to depart the day after you have hived them?

This is what I did: www.talkingwithbees.com/hiving-a-swarm

This is what happened: www.talkingwithbees.com/easy-come-easy-go

Thanks for any advice.

Roger
- regaining my sanity through beekeeping

 

[Polyanwood]

It is unusual for them to go again if you put some comb from another box in with the swarm., especially if you give them a bit of brood. If you leave them to it I find about 1 in ten abscond.

 

[Frisbee]

I had one go last week, it had a couple of frames of old brood and the rest new foundation, dropped into the box at about 3.30, the box was in the shade (it was a very hot day) close to the land site, when I left at 4pm the remaining stragglers were either going in or flying over the box rather than the tree, when I got back at 9.30pm all but about 50 had gone.

It heard of a few this year, although there seem to be a lot more swarms too.

Frisbee

 

[kazmcc]

Welcome to the forum! You don't need to be qualified to join this forum, or I'd be hoofed out lol. This is where I have gleaned all my knowledge and the wealth of experience and support here is huge! Regarding multiplying colonies, I think people combine if they don't want to expand their hives. If I am wrong I'm sure someone will correct me

Congratulations on the baby news btw

 

[Mike a]

For the first time this year I've lost 3 swarms within two days of collecting them, each time the swarm was small and definitely cast swarms as they all came from the same parent hive but they absconded within two days when I went to check on them and see if they had settled in and needed a small amount of syrup.

 

[jackbee]

I had one last week, hived on wed evening in dark at 10 like you, orientation flights in morning, came home from work all excited - empty hive - didn't like the wallpaper !
They had started drawing new wax on foundation I had in there, a mm or 2.

But then picked up another on saturday and they're still there

Another experience beek I was chatting to on sunday was saying he had a swarm and Q had even started laying and they absconded.

Just can't tell with them, it's as if they have a mind of their own

 

[enrico]

Honestly seems worse this year than others though, or maybe it is just being discussed more!

 

[Polyanwood]

I think it is very common for queenless swarms to abscond... or to join a nearby colony. This year twice I have opened the roof of a box that had a medium swarm in it only to find the and the rest of the nuc stuffed with bees because friends had moved in too (and out of where they were hived). I haven't been able to work out whether the searms that did this were part of the same orginal colony or not - looking at them, it seems not.

 

[YorkshireBees]

It can and does happen, how often appears to be random. In over 3 years of collecting swarms I would say my average is about 1 in 10.

Of course being able to hive them with some drawn out comb and or stores is always a bonus but I understand that is not always possible, been there myself!

This year, so far, I haven't had a swarm leave.
Previous years when I only had foundation I used the trick of putting a queen excluder between the floor and brood body, just for a couple of days, to try and discourage them from leaving.

It appeared to work that year. Important, at least I believe, is that it's only in place for 2-3 days so that it does not stop a virgin queen from making mating flights, if it is a cast swarm.

This is my experience.

 

[hedgerow pete]

for me, may be one in eight some times i have a run of three or four some years next to non

 

[oliver90owner]

There is a spectrum of risk.

Casts - quite often.
Primes in poor accommodation - can go. Usually in and out in a day. Usually they have 'hived' themselves and 'unhived' themselves.
Primes interfered with (comb disruption early on). Had one do this. My fault, really - too much wild comb on the crownboard.
Primes moved out of their area and into a good location/home - rarely (in fact, I've never had one go). I usually try 'to run them in' later in the day, so they have a night to get comb building started.

I have, on occasion, prevented loss, by adding a Q/E under for a couple of days, when transferred to a box, then re-boxed the following day.

I think tipping bees from one box to another may well unsettle them and the 'running in' is the final part of the swarming sequence, so that may well settle them into their new home, so there is some human activity that can alter the wish (or not) to abscond.

Those following all the 'best practice' are unlikely to find than empty hive the following day - apart from those casts, which can be a bear, if left with the front door open. There is little to keep them (casts), as they have no urgent requirement for brood comb and are not already feeding up the queen to restart laying.

I think about what I have acquired and decide on my best course of action. No losses since early on in my beekeeping.

RAB

 

[For want of a better word]

Should be an Olympic sport!
watched a friend chase a swarm around an orchard for a week one year, caught hived... absconded... and again... and again... settled in a compost bin eventually..
some bees is just feral...

Traveler's bees?

 

[YorkshireBees]

Although generally I don't have time to run them in nicely, I have effectively had to do this twice so far this year, in the actual collection process!

Size of box may also make a difference. I always used to collect swarms in a cardboard box (6 bottle wine size) as that's how I understood was the best way.
It can still be the only way if I have to climb a ladder or the swarm is in an awkward place but I have also used a polynuc a few times now with great success.
Unless the swarm is really too big I also initially hive it into a polynuc as opposed to a full size hive (even dummied down).

 

[sherwood]

For the first time this year I've lost 3 swarms within two days of collecting them, each time the swarm was small and definitely cast swarms as they all came from the same parent hive but they absconded within two days when I went to check on them and see if they had settled in and needed a small amount of syrup.

This is a problem with swarms headed by a virgin as the newly located colony follow the Q out on what may be one of her virgin flights rather than taking off for a new location and hey hoy there off on another swarm. You could always have employed a Queen excluder as an includer above the floor but this is not a 100 % as most virgins and some mature queens are quite thin enough to get through an excluder.

 

[Talking With Bees]

thanks everyone. feeling a bit less of an *****!

thanks everyone. feeling a bit less of a fool [this forum did not like the work i d i o t , so i had to change it]!

 

[Silly Bee]

Had two go this year, one yesterday, one last week. Both on drawn comb with stores.