Ideally, you want a swarm to use any food it's brought with it from it's old colony in drawing wax so you shouldn't need to feed it.
I gave them 48 hours to use anything in their honey stomach.
From reading around on here it sounds like it’s worth feeding them to help them draw out wax for a while, but there’s a risk of over feeding at which point they would start to store it.
I’m not sure how much to give them or how quickly they’re likely to use it. Could they already have used the litre I gave them yesterday or will it keep them going for a while?
This is the guiding factor; down here there's nothing coming in and nucs need syrup; blackberry is opening but there's nothing foraging on it - too hot for nectar, perhaps.plenty of forage around at the moment
I agree.feed as much 1:1 as it takes to draw out the comb
I'm not too far north of you but I'm finding brood boxes choked with pollen and fresh nectar.This is the guiding factor; down here there's nothing coming in and nucs need syrup; blackberry is opening but there's nothing foraging on it - too hot for nectar, perhaps.
I agree.
I would use the round, rapid feeder, it allows you to give them half a gallon, which will help them with the comb building. You can gauge the situation from there as to whether it's enough or they need a little more.I gave them 48 hours to use anything in their honey stomach.
From reading around on here it sounds like it’s worth feeding them to help them draw out wax for a while, but there’s a risk of over feeding at which point they would start to store it.
I’m not sure how much to give them or how quickly they’re likely to use it. Could they already have used the litre I gave them yesterday or will it keep them going for a while?
Check at either end of the day when Q flying is over.I don’t want to disturb them by checking unless I have to in case the queen heads out to mate while I’m there and is disorientated if I’ve gone again when she returns...
Check at either end of the day when Q flying is over.
Yes. Swarms have been drawing comb for thousands of years and know what to do. If they're on foundation, let them get on with it in peace, especially as you don't know whether the swarm queen is a virgin or mated.should I avoid disturbing them?
Yes. Swarms have been drawing comb for thousands of years and know what to do. If they're on foundation, let them get on with it in peace, especially as you don't know whether the swarm queen is a virgin or mated.
I did that last week, after a week, and all was good.I look in a week
Post 8 above!how will I know when to stop topping up the syrup?
Think it depends how big the swarm is. I’ve seen data which suggests the ‘average’ swarm carries enough nectar in their honey stomach to draw out one side of a comb unless there is a good flow on. So I would quickly assess after a few days, look for eggs (ie is it a virgin or not) and if slowing down comb building I’d feed. Only you will be able to tell how big it is, how busy it is and how fast they are drawing comb. If they start to fill combs with nectar you know they have enough.I gave my new swarm a litre of 1:1 syrup yesterday morning (48 hours after capture).
Should I be giving them some more? They have a full brood box of new foundation to draw out.
Is there forage? Are they collecting anything?
I would be tempted to stop till you next look in.
my swarm got 2 litres. They have been out flying.
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