Permanent QX?

[planbee]

I was reading a piece on a American beekeeping website, where the writer suggested that a swarm should be hived over a QX, just as a precaution, in case they decide to push off again.

I did meet an elderly gent about 25 years ago who hived the same swarm something like nine times, so it can happen. He ended up taking them about ten miles away, and leaving them in a hedge bottom!

My question is, if you left that QX in place "forever", what would the likely outcome be?

John

 

[David P]

Fustrated, grumpy and dead drones springs to mind

 

[Nellie]

I can see the logic of using a QX on a [shook] Swarm in a new hive. Until there's brood there really isn't any reason to hang around so a QX for a week while they draw some foundation and get some brood in place makes sense in my little mind, although I gather a swarm Queen might well be slim enough to slip through a QX.

 

[VEG]

Some add a frame of eggs/brood to a swarm to get them to stay.

 

[victor meldrew]

I gather a swarm Queen might well be slim enough to slip through a QX.

A "slimmed Queen" has only her abdomen slimmed, her thorax would still impede her passage through a QX,
10 out of 10 for the guy hiving a swarm 10 times . he was either persistant or down right pig headed .
I'm sure moving the hive a little ,plus repositioning the entrance, plus the use of a QX for a limited period would have been preferable to dumping swarm into a hedge bottom ?.

John

 

[planbee]

Thanks for the replies, having read about the QX, I thought "What would happen if it was forgotten, or if the owner died and the hive wasn't known about?", after all, we do sometimes tuck hives out of the way of prying eyes, and fingers!

The gent who had all the problems with the swarm is alas, long gone, he lived here in Staffordshire, and he'd worked for the same company as me, but had retired many years before I was transferred to this County.

I only met him on a few occasions, it was when I had an interest in bee's, but long before I'd had any of my own.

He was a real gent, an old timer, always had an interesting tale to tell.

I seem to remember than he said that the bee's kept coming out, sometimes as early as 6 in the morning, and always settled in the same tree nearby, and on the same branch; presumably they had a master plan, but nobody else new what it was!

John

 

[andynorton]

Hi,
I used a QX as a Queen Includer (QI?!) when I hived a swarm in my new hive today.
Nellie, you mention leaving it on for a week, is this the general recommenation, or would anyone suggest longer, shorter than this? I guess as soon as they start drawing out foundation they are less likely to decide to leave.
The swarm was collected in a Langstroth Nuc box, so I needed to shake the bees off the frames to put them in my National hive. It wasn't very warm today, so didn't want to hang around too long and so I couldn't find the queen. I was very worried that she had fallen on the floor and wouldn't be able to get back in past the QX. Presume the bees would have left reasonably quickly if that had happened?

So... how long do I leave the QX under the brood chamber?

 

[BKF Admin]

I leave mine on for 48 hours,by this time they are drawing comb.

My record to date is 11 swarms hived with one lost.
The swarm I lost was the only time I never used a QE.

I just give them fresh foundation,I can understand the reason behind giving a frame of brood but have never needed to.

 

[andynorton]

Thanks for that. After 48 hours, Is it worth checking to see if they are drawing the comb out ok? or better to just whip out the QX quckly and leave them in peace for a couple of weeks?
I've given them 2 litres of 1:1 syrup. How often will I need to check this? I don't want to interfere too much until they've got themselves established!

 

[Poly Hive]

Weather Andy.

I hived five packages on Monday. I checked today, Thursday, and the syrup is untouched but the foundation is all drawn and near full of stores.

Why?

They are on 100 acres of rape and the weather has been kind.

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

Andy I would only give them the 2litres and let them forage for food.
We seem to be having a flow off the Hawthorn in the area.
Loads of rape in bloom to the west of Winchester as well.

 

[Nellie]

Andy, still very much a noob at this point. Ileft the QX on for a week purely because that's the interval I'm inspecting and I didn't want to over-fiddle with the colony. From watching what was going on it looks like there was drawn comb and some brood within 24-48 hours and at that point I reckon you could remve the QX. I didn't have any drones at the time I did the shook so they weren't a consideration within the timeframe.

 

[andynorton]

Thanks to all. I think I'll just play it by ear and see what the weather is like on Sunday. If its a nice day I'll perhaps remove the QX, if not I'll leave them alone.
I hope the weather improves a bit for them. Not very nice in Winchester or London this morning :-(