How to stop new swarm from absconding?

[Vergilius]

Dear all,

Help for a returning beekeeper much appreciated! So, yesterday I caught a beautiful prime (I think) swarm, and thought I had done a good job hiving them up last night. All was seemingly well until midday today when the colony suddenly re-swarmed onto the nearby hedge... Thankfully, I've recaptured them, but I ideally want to avoid this happening again. My plan is to:

-- Change the direction of the hive: its current location is the only really appropriate place for it, but I'm going to change the direction so that it faces more southwards.

-- Change up the equipment: use at least temporarily some of my very old stuff instead of the shiny new stuff I had intended to use.

-- Put a QE under the BB -- this seems logical.

Sadly, as I am just coming back to the craft, I do not have any frames of brood, so this is not an option. Only some very old frames of drawn out comb, which I am going to give a go. Any thoughts in general on the plan(s) above / additional suggestions? Particularly in regard to placing a QE under the BB -- anyone do this regularly / have a suggested time frame for removal? As I said, my gut says it is a prime swarm, but I would not want to trap a virgin queen in there too long!

Best wishes and many thanks in advance.

BP

 

[Ian123]

As your doing put a Queen excluder under for a couple of days job done.

 

[dn170221]

Try the QX for a couple of days.
Beyond that you will either isolate a virign queen or annoy a colony that is dead set on leaving. If there is a mated queen , if you can keep her there and she lays your chances go up.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I pop a piece of QX over the entrance. Much easier to remove than a whole one under the brood box.

 

[Swarm]

I pop a piece of QX over the entrance. Much easier to remove than a whole one under the brood box.

Thinking beekeeper.

 

[Ian123]

Thinking beekeeper.

Or 1 with lots of broken queen excluders

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or 1 with lots of broken queen excluders

How do you break a queen excluder

 

[Vergilius]

Thanks team! I have a bust old QX and have taken a strip from that!

 

[Ian123]

How do you break a queen excluder

Not sure ask steve

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not sure ask steve

I cut a plastic one up on purpose.

 

[beeno]

I cut a plastic one up on purpose.

Very good to do this for an Apidea then you can see the drones wanting to get out!
After she is mated I hasten to add as they tend to abscond at a drop of a hat then.

 

[Swarm]

Well I suppose you could think about it or keep a stack of excluders handy just in case they are needed to prevent a swarm from leaving.

 

[Ian123]

Well I suppose you could think about it or keep a stack of excluders handy just in case they are needed to prevent a swarm from leaving.

Lol I keep a stack of supers in the hope my bees fill them with honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've never felt the need to incarcerate a swarm to stop them absconding, most are a PITA afterwards anyway. Can only recall one absconding - and that was one caught in a bait hive - that one even abandoned some of its own brood.

 

[Swarm]

I've never felt the need to incarcerate a swarm to stop them absconding, most are a PITA afterwards anyway. Can only recall one absconding - and that was one caught in a bait hive - that one even abandoned some of its own brood.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Ian123]

I've never felt the need to incarcerate a swarm to stop them absconding, most are a PITA afterwards anyway. Can only recall one absconding - and that was one caught in a bait hive - that one even abandoned some of its own brood.

Re your 1 absconding from a bait hive leaving brood it’s not uncommon. When you look into bait hives there’s info out there from guys that place literally dozens . Several reported finding or witnessing swarms taking up residence drawing and laying up comb, when returning to remove the boxes are empty. This was put down to small bait hives or nucs and the problem was resolved by an increase in box size. The colonies appeared to realise space was limited and cut their losses. Ian

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Re your 1 absconding from a bait hive leaving brood it’s not uncommon. When you look into bait hives there’s info out there from guys that place literally dozens . Several reported finding or witnessing swarms taking up residence drawing and laying up comb, when returning to remove the boxes are empty. This was put down to small bait hives or nucs and the problem was resolved by an increase in box size. The colonies appeared to realise space was limited and cut their losses. Ian

it was a 40 Litre box

 

[Ian123]

it was a 40 Litre box

Lol.....maybe they had aspirations

 

[Vergilius]

Thanks team! I have a bust old QX and have taken a strip from that!

Pollen coming in now, and noticeable change of behaviour (not so much short range circular orientation flights around the hive but more clear cut long distance foraging trips), so will probs leave on for just one more day... Happy that they have seemingly settled in.