MJBee
Drone Bee
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2008
- Messages
- 1,812
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Dordogne 24360 France
- Hive Type
- Commercial
- Number of Hives
- 16 a mix of Commercial, National, 14 x 12, Dadant and a Warre
The swarm that arrived on 25 June has drawn all 11 frames and filled them with either brood or stores. decision time super or move?
Decided to move then super - weight the main consideration - 1115pm yesterday, pitch dark but still 20C went to seal the entrance and found a couple of dozen bees "chillin" on the alighting board - rats. Pushed the foam in anyway and just left a small opening.
0600 this morning no bees visible so sealed the entrance strapped the hive and moved it without problems, left them to settle for an hour then opened the entrance - no boil out of angry bees - so carefully removed the roof and added a QX and super, job done.
Moving bees at this time of year - long days and high temperatures - involves serious sleep deprivation
PS Put a nuc box with a very small entrance and a drawn brood frame on the site and have rounded up about 200 foragers!! If they ever go to bed I'll lock them in and reunite them with their queen
Decided to move then super - weight the main consideration - 1115pm yesterday, pitch dark but still 20C went to seal the entrance and found a couple of dozen bees "chillin" on the alighting board - rats. Pushed the foam in anyway and just left a small opening.
0600 this morning no bees visible so sealed the entrance strapped the hive and moved it without problems, left them to settle for an hour then opened the entrance - no boil out of angry bees - so carefully removed the roof and added a QX and super, job done.
Moving bees at this time of year - long days and high temperatures - involves serious sleep deprivation
PS Put a nuc box with a very small entrance and a drawn brood frame on the site and have rounded up about 200 foragers!! If they ever go to bed I'll lock them in and reunite them with their queen