Might they return after absconding?

[GreenaGiant]

Hi all

Bad day today, found out why my neighbor was moaning yesterday about there being "loads of bees" everywhere yesterday (I was away.)

They've absconded :-(

It's a new hive and u am new to the hobby this year. I've done the local theory course and am nearly at the end of the practical course. I also meet with the local instructor every we who helps us with the six colonies at work.

Is this absconded colony a complete lost cause or is there any chance they may return? My gut says they are gone for good and so I should put a crown board below the brood box to let the last few (30-50) bees out but not back in and prevent robbing of the remaining stores, until I can get a new nuc and yet again after making a few changes to make the hive more homely.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome but please take note of my rather down state at the moment so no trolling please!

Kind regards

Simon

 

[Millet]

Hi all

Bad day today, found out why my neighbor was moaning yesterday about there being "loads of bees" everywhere yesterday (I was away.)

They've absconded :-(

It's a new hive and u am new to the hobby this year. I've done the local theory course and am nearly at the end of the practical course. I also meet with the local instructor every we who helps us with the six colonies at work.

Is this absconded colony a complete lost cause or is there any chance they may return? My gut says they are gone for good and so I should put a crown board below the brood box to let the last few (30-50) bees out but not back in and prevent robbing of the remaining stores, until I can get a new nuc and yet again after making a few changes to make the hive more homely.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome but please take note of my rather down state at the moment so no trolling please!

Kind regards

Simon

The sad truth is they have gone for good but i can't for the life of me understand why if they have left no Queen cells behind.

What hive do you have and have you painted the inside with something bees do not like, i'm stumped but others may know the answer.

 

[GreenaGiant]

Yes unfortunately it is treated on the inside (big mistake made before I knew any better) but it's been airing since march. The bees went in about 3.5 weeks ago and the Queen hatched, mated and only started laying Thursday/Friday last week. It was yesterday (Sunday) they absconded.

I knew I should have put the QE below the brood box as soon as I saw eggs but that would have been against advice I'd had. Hindsight eh?

At least I can assume they are gone for good so I can hopefully let the remaining bees out and try to get a new nuc tomorrow from work (another artificial swarm likely, possibly one we did two weeks ago so may have a mated Queen by now, we're over capacity at the moment).

They completely absconded rather than swarmed, there's been no brood for a couple of weeks as the Queen was still being raised so they couldn't have made a QC.

 

[GreenaGiant]

Forgot to add, it's a cedar national with jumbo frames from Caddon Hives.

Mesh floor, jumbo brood box, QE, Ashforth feeder with 2:1 syrup and I also had some pollen candy in there too both of which they were loving.

I had about 4-5 seams of bees on Friday.

 

[Beefriendly]

I had about 4-5 seams of bees on Friday.

Be helpful to know a bit more about source of bees. Swarm? Package etc.

 

[GreenaGiant]

It was a 4frame nuc with open QC taken from one of the 4 (now 6) colonies we have at work. Hope that helps?

 

[Beefriendly]

Presumably brood was present on open queen cell frame?
If so, possibly inability of bees to manage internal hive temperature. Too hot and off they go.

 

[GreenaGiant]

Yes correct.

All the brood hatched no problem, the house bees seemed to look after the larvae well. Queen hatched about a week after the last brood did (give or take).

 

[Beefriendly]

Queen hatched about a week after the last brood did (give or take).

Something wrong here..queens take around 16 days to emerge..worker brood take around 21 days....so if your queen emerged a week after last brood...as you describe...difficult to know what has happened.

 

[GreenaGiant]

The QC wasn't sealed when I got the nuc, most of the brood was already capped.

 

[Millet]

Wind up me thinks.

 

[Beefriendly]

The QC wasn't sealed when I got the nuc, most of the brood was already capped.

I'm with Millet on this one ...isstake;
Unless queen cell was an addition to the nuc.

 

[GreenaGiant]

As in, assume they're gone for good and try again with a new nuc (with some changes to reduce the chance of reoccurrence)??