Newbie with a swarm of someone wants it......

[W0otz]

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately I had work commitments last night and today and was unable to do anything! I just wanted to make sure the bees were OK. Fortunately my wife has found someone on a local forum who is collecting the swarm this morning.
I am now going to order a second hive etc as a spare and inspect the existing hive today and follow the advice on here.

Maisemore sale on 26th-28th June if you can hold fire for a couple more weeks. There's generally nothing wrong with seconds kit, it just has a few more knots in the wood or other minor flaws etc but is perfectly useable and there are good savings to be had.

 

[OhBeehave]

They require hands on management to see to their needs, this means esp now the weather has perked up and is here to stay till at least a week Saturday every week. The queen needs room to lay, the BB can become clogged with pollen and nectar as a lot will have seen in the last week with warm sunny weather. Likely the supers are only foundation, if they haven't drawn them out quick enough then there is nowhere to store the nectar.

Looks like you may need a local mentor but short of that keep asking away on the forum for advice and help, we are here to help if you need it.
One of your main problems going forward is the lack lack of equipment you will need another hive and likely at some stage this year another super or two.

Thanks for your reply, ordering another hive etc today and will get another couple of supers. I only have myself to blame, there is plenty of info available and I ignored it. Now going to start doing it properly.....hopefully!

 

[OhBeehave]

At the mo newbies are in at the deep end with little support form some quarters.
As erichalfbee aka Dani has said carefully check for any QC, don't rashly start removing any until you have decide which one to keep for now (in time with experience one can leave two or three and then make a timely check to reduce to one later) . Once decided which one use a drawing pin pushed in to the top bar so you know the position of the QC. As mentioned by Dani select a QC with a nice larvae it.

Great, thanks for the advice. If I’m struggling to see a suitable one I might post some photos on here for an experienced eye to see!

 

[OhBeehave]

Maisemore sale on 26th-28th June if you can hold fire for a couple more weeks. There's generally nothing wrong with seconds kit, it just has a few more knots in the wood or other minor flaws etc but is perfectly useable and there are good savings to be had.
View attachment 26473

Thanks! Crikey that’s less than half the price I was going to pay! Might have to have a stock up and get a couple of hives etc as it looks like I will need them.

 

[ericbeaumont]

someone on a local forum who is collecting the swarm this morning.

Pity: you've just given away £200.

Next time (and if you don't have an Argos) get a cardboard box from the corner shop, knock the bees in, up-end the box onto something that'll keep it off the ground, and cover it to keep the rain off until the hive arrives.

As well as that, buy a couple of these nuc boxes and DN4 frames & wax to put in them.

Ted Hooper's Bees & Honey is a very good book but not one for the total novice. Buy the Haynes Bee Manual, which gives straightforward and well-illustrated beginner advice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for your reply, ordering another hive etc today and will get another couple of supers. I only have myself to blame, there is plenty of info available and I ignored it. Now going to start doing it properly.....hopefully!

Never mind. The important thing is you learn from it. We all make mistakes.
I lost a swarm from a Demaree in the last few days. It would have been twice the size of yours.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Crikey that’s less than half the price I was going to pay!

All very well, but don't be seduced into saving a few quid unless you have the time and skill to assemble the boxes accurately. A hive might last you a lifetime and unless you know what you're doing, dodgy assembly could return to haunt you.

If you want to put bees into a hive straight from the box, consider the Abelo National poly for £165 complete. It's the best on the market and compatible with wood National.

 

[pargyle]

Would those Argos boxes work as swarm traps do you think? They’re a bargain at £8....just wonder if they would heat up too much in the sun and whether they would be rain proof.

Yes ... it was another forum member who suggested using them as bait hives ... they are nice and strong and with a bit if fettling ideal for a bait hive ...

 

[pargyle]

I definitely went into this without fully researching, big mistake! We spent more time turning a paddock into a meadow for them and I should have just read a good book on the subject! So just ordered bees and honey by Ted Cooper.....5 weeks late! But already we do love having the bees and spend hours watching them around the hive.

You might find the Haynes Manual of Beekeeping an easier read in the first year as it takes you through the beekeeping year in easy stages... Hooper is a good reference book but ... you need to be up and running fast and Haynes will get you up to a basic standard by which time you will understand what Hooper is talking about ..

 

[oliver90owner]

While I agree with virtually all Dani posted, I would disagree with leaving only one queen cell. IF the one cell were to fail, the newbie would be left with a hopelessly queenless colony and nothing to fall back on - unless the swarm is successfully captured and housed. Leave two.

 

[Erichalfbee]

While I agree with virtually all Dani posted, I would disagree with leaving only one queen cell. IF the one cell were to fail, the newbie would be left with a hopelessly queenless colony and nothing to fall back on - unless the swarm is successfully captured and housed. Leave two.

Yes I would leave two if they were all sealed

 

[ericbeaumont]

leave two if they were all sealed

Or leave one and make up a nuc with the other.

 

[OhBeehave]

Pity: you've just given away £200.

Next time (and if you don't have an Argos) get a cardboard box from the corner shop, knock the bees in, up-end the box onto something that'll keep it off the ground, and cover it to keep the rain off until the hive arrives.

As well as that, buy a couple of these nuc boxes and DN4 frames & wax to put in them.

Ted Hooper's Bees & Honey is a very good book but not one for the total novice. Buy the Haynes Bee Manual, which gives straightforward and well-illustrated beginner advice.

Great thanks, I will order the Haynes manual as well.

 

[OhBeehave]

All very well, but don't be seduced by the saving of a few quid unless you have the time and skill to assemble the boxes accurately. A hive might last you a lifetime and unless you know what you're doing, dodgy assembly could return to haunt you.

If you want to put bees into a hive straight from the box, consider the Abelo National poly for £165 complete. It's the best on the market and compatible with wood National.

Thanks, generally I am ok with building/assembling and assembled this hive and hopefully done a passable job and quite enjoyed it.

 

[OhBeehave]

Lengthy update on today....
So, whilst at work the gentleman my wife found on the local forum has come to collect the swarm. It turns out he is possibly the nicest guy ever and runs the Ashford Beekeeping Association! So along with removing the swarm he went through my hive and sorted it out, amazing.
So the outcome of having an expert as follows, some details maybe a bit off as this was repeated through my wife:
It is actually a second swarm, I completely missed the first one. Doh! Photo attached of the queen cell.
He has destroyed the other queen cells and left 2. This seems to be the same as some kind comments today on the forum?
He has taken another virgin queen with him so if I have any issues he is going to keep it “in reserve”
Bees were on the landing board and he said that the entrance block was restricting them and they were overheating so he has removed this.
I hadn’t put a dummy/ empty frame at each end of the brood box
As if he wasn’t a hero enough doing this for an hour in the torrential rain he also runs free beekeeping lessons on Saturdays! So my daughter and I are going tomorrow afternoon and for the foreseeable future.
I am definitely going to take him a nice bottle of something!
I do have another question which is probably ridiculous, but..... my wife filmed most of this and even after 2 swarms the brood box is absolutely full of bees. If this after 5 weeks what happens over the rest of the year if they keep reproducing at this rate??

 

[OhBeehave]

Never mind. The important thing is you learn from it. We all make mistakes.
I lost a swarm from a Demaree in the last few days. It would have been twice the size of yours.

Oh no, I’m gutted about mine.

 

[pargyle]

Lengthy update on today....
So, whilst at work the gentleman my wife found on the local forum has come to collect the swarm. It turns out he is possibly the nicest guy ever and runs the Ashford Beekeeping Association! So along with removing the swarm he went through my hive and sorted it out, amazing.
So the outcome of having an expert as follows, some details maybe a bit off as this was repeated through my wife:
It is actually a second swarm, I completely missed the first one. Doh! Photo attached of the queen cell.
He has destroyed the other queen cells and left 2. This seems to be the same as some kind comments today on the forum?
He has taken another virgin queen with him so if I have any issues he is going to keep it “in reserve”
Bees were on the landing board and he said that the entrance block was restricting them and they were overheating so he has removed this.
I hadn’t put a dummy/ empty frame at each end of the brood box
As if he wasn’t a hero enough doing this for an hour in the torrential rain he also runs free beekeeping lessons on Saturdays! So my daughter and I are going tomorrow afternoon and for the foreseeable future.
I am definitely going to take him a nice bottle of something!
I do have another question which is probably ridiculous, but..... my wife filmed most of this and even after 2 swarms the brood box is absolutely full of bees. If this after 5 weeks what happens over the rest of the year if they keep reproducing at this rate??

A prolific queen will make a big colony in the summer but they reduce down for the winter months and build up again in spring ... what looks like a lot of bees to you may not be as much as you think... a good queen can easily lay 1500 eggs a day... more if they are inclined...

Sounds like you found a mentor... good news !

 

[W0otz]

Lengthy update on today....
So, whilst at work the gentleman my wife found on the local forum has come to collect the swarm. It turns out he is possibly the nicest guy ever and runs the Ashford Beekeeping Association! So along with removing the swarm he went through my hive and sorted it out, amazing.
So the outcome of having an expert as follows, some details maybe a bit off as this was repeated through my wife:
It is actually a second swarm, I completely missed the first one. Doh! Photo attached of the queen cell.
He has destroyed the other queen cells and left 2. This seems to be the same as some kind comments today on the forum?
He has taken another virgin queen with him so if I have any issues he is going to keep it “in reserve”
Bees were on the landing board and he said that the entrance block was restricting them and they were overheating so he has removed this.
I hadn’t put a dummy/ empty frame at each end of the brood box
As if he wasn’t a hero enough doing this for an hour in the torrential rain he also runs free beekeeping lessons on Saturdays! So my daughter and I are going tomorrow afternoon and for the foreseeable future.
I am definitely going to take him a nice bottle of something!
I do have another question which is probably ridiculous, but..... my wife filmed most of this and even after 2 swarms the brood box is absolutely full of bees. If this after 5 weeks what happens over the rest of the year if they keep reproducing at this rate??

The bees build up (and swarm) in spring when the going is good, much like many other animals that reproduce in spring. As spring becomes summer numbers in the colony begin to decrease and they become less likely to swarm (though it can still happen)
Graph below shows the approx colony population through the year.

Src: Understanding Colony Buildup and Decline - Part 2 - Scientific Beekeeping

If the bees are looking to swarm they'll start making replacement queens in "swarm cells." Eggs are laid in these cells, hatch into larvae, and the cells are capped 7.5 days after laying. When the first queen cell is capped the old queen will swarm (weather permitting!). This is why, from April through to July, weekly inspections are required - if you see queen cells with eggs/larvae in them you can do something about it.

 

[OhBeehave]

A prolific queen will make a big colony in the summer but they reduce down for the winter months and build up again in spring ... what looks like a lot of bees to you may not be as much as you think... a good queen can easily lay 1500 eggs a day... more if they are inclined...

Sounds like you found a mentor... good news !

Thanks for the info, a definitely good news having a mentor!

 

[OhBeehave]

The bees build up (and swarm) in spring when the going is good, much like many other animals that reproduce in spring. As spring becomes summer numbers in the colony begin to decrease and they become less likely to swarm (though it can still happen)
Graph below shows the approx colony population through the year.

Src: Understanding Colony Buildup and Decline - Part 2 - Scientific Beekeeping

If the bees are looking to swarm they'll start making replacement queens in "swarm cells." Eggs are laid in these cells, hatch into larvae, and the cells are capped 7.5 days after laying. When the first queen cell is capped the old queen will swarm (weather permitting!). This is why, from April through to July, weekly inspections are required - if you see queen cells with eggs/larvae in them you can do something about it.

That makes sense now, thanks