How not to look after a swarm!

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buzz lightyear

House Bee
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
196
Reaction score
2
Location
North Notts uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
18
Monday night, 8pm on the way home from work picked up a swarm off a wall. The photos show they were in two clumps. Not a bad one all told. The home owner said they arrived Sunday PM. Must have been between the showers up here in Notts. Anyway, brushed them onto frames and into a nuc box, droped them off 10feet from the rape, job done, or so I thought! Poped up this afternoon, after 2 really cold nights and windy, cool days and they look almost history. Heads down in the 1 drawn frame I gave them.
The reason, has to be starvation, guess they had got cold on the wall, spent all there stores keeping warm until nothing left.

This is what I have done, but am guessing its too late, saw very little action, even afterwards:
Gave them a good spray with 1:1, gave them a fram of uncapped honey and put a feeded ontop.

In hind sight thats what I should have done at first, but you get grilled with the info that swarms have several days stores on board so dont feed for a few days, let them draw out the foundation.

Lesson learnt, always consider whats happening with the weather!

Don't want anyone else to make the same mistake as me.
 
How come there is a gate in the second shot ?

Did you chase them along the wall. :)
 
LOL
No, as I said they were in two clumps. I guess they settled in 2 and the cold stopped them from joining up.
 
Doh' me no read proper.

Nice sized swarm though. :)
 
it did cross my mind. The thing is, I think they / it is a gone r. will the spray of 1:! bring them back. I've not had much experiance with starvation, so don't know how robust, or how quick they can come back from the brink.
Any tips are most welcome, Thanks, Buzz
 
they look cold as much as anything, small nuc box and spray with warm 1:1, add a frame of stores and some brood from another hive.

just my thought.
 
Please do not feed anything warm to bees as this will upset the digestive system. It also causes the runs, (cant spell dysentery)
 
thanks BC and J. What do you think about bringing them intto the house overnight to avoid the perishing cold up north at night?
i gave them an uncapped frame of stores, sprayed 1:1 and put feeder on top. Will give a frame of brood when I get back tonight.
 
just to say, checked on them Thursday night. Weather had been a bit better, low and behold, far number of dead, but most active, live and well. Would never have beleaved it.
Buzz
 

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