Queenless hive

[cwg]

I'm a novice in my first year and I collected a small swarm locally on Saturday 31st and re-hived it successfully (or so I thought). Opened the hive today to find very little drawn comb all of which was on the outside of the two centre frames. No eggs or queen to be seen. I'm pretty sure she's no longer in there.

I've been offered another swarm when the next call comes in to my local society so my question is, is it worth getting hold of a mated queen from somewhere and introducing her to this relatively small queenless colony or waiting and trying to merge it with the next swarm should one become available?

Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

[Anduril]

Sounds like you have a caste swarm with a virgin queen. She will need to be mated first so just relax and wait.

 

[Arfermo]

get a test frame of eggs 7 brood from somewhere - local BKA? - and see what happens.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sounds like you picked up a cast swarm - just have to wait now for the queen to mate - what size swarm was it? may be an idea to give them a few pints of 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb drawing

 

[dexter's shed]

. Opened the hive today to find very little drawn comb




I'm pretty sure she's no longer in there.

gratefully received.

so you have collected a small cast swarm, and stuck them in a massive empty hive????
you really need to add more info when asking questions, otherwise we just presume (not good with beekeeping)
if you have put them into a standard hive, then get them back into a nuc, give them a chance to build the frames up, sticking them straight into a hive is asking a lot, keeping warm and building comb, once back in a nuc, feed them sugar syrup to aid the building of comb

all swarms I collect are kept in poly nucs until all 6 frames are filled, bias and the queen is seen and marked.

being pretty sure and SURE are not the same thing, remember what I said about presuming things

this is what you want in a poly nuc before even thinking about a hive

https://youtu.be/GlVgYs4AZco

 

[MuswellMetro]

ok, agree with most posts here, but no needs for a frame of eggs yet, they are a caste and she will not be mated..

1) wait at least three weeks from collection for eggs and four weeks for cappped if you have never seen eggs or day old larvae

2) if you have not got a nuc, reduce the number of frames to five and fill the void with bubble wrap

3) Feed warm sugar water 1kg:1 1L water in a feeder in an empty super and fill the void in the super with bubble wrap or insulation (to keep the feed area warm)

inspect if YOU MUST but i would not and defineltly not in the early afternoon as queen maywell be out on a mating flight 13:00 to 16:00 in good weather

 

[jonnybeegood]

so you have collected a small cast swarm, and stuck them in a massive empty hive????
you really need to add more info when asking questions, otherwise we just presume (not good with beekeeping)
if you have put them into a standard hive, then get them back into a nuc, give them a chance to build the frames up, sticking them straight into a hive is asking a lot, keeping warm and building comb, once back in a nuc, feed them sugar syrup to aid the building of comb

all swarms I collect are kept in poly nucs until all 6 frames are filled, bias and the queen is seen and marked.

being pretty sure and SURE are not the same thing, remember what I said about presuming things

this is what you want in a poly nuc before even thinking about a hive

https://youtu.be/GlVgYs4AZco

Just watched the video, mostly of your feet Lol, but i wondered why you smoked the bees, you said they were lovely calm bees yet you smoked them twice without waiting to see how they were going to be, maybe there was no need for the smoke?

 

[dexter's shed]

yet you smoked them twice without waiting to see how they were going to be, maybe there was no need for the smoke?

maybe,maybe not, but why wait, everyone does things differently, my way might not work for you, and vice versa, don't mean it's wrong or right,
the first smoke I didn't know what they were like did I, having caught the swarm and housing it straight away in my woodland, maybe I could of forgotten the second, but.......I didn't,

 

[dn170221]

maybe they were calm because you gave them a bit of smoke!

 

[cwg]

Thanks everyone, I don't have a nuc so I'll get some frames out and insulate.

The swarm was about the size of a small pineapple so yes, I'm convinced it was a caste.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or a cast even

 

[jonnybeegood]

maybe,maybe not, but why wait, everyone does things differently, my way might not work for you, and vice versa, don't mean it's wrong or right,
the first smoke I didn't know what they were like did I, having caught the swarm and housing it straight away in my woodland, maybe I could of forgotten the second, but.......I didn't,

Sorry i wasnt being funny i just wondered why you smoked, i thought you knew they were gentle bees before hand when you mentioned it. Just curious as always

 

[dexter's shed]

Sorry i wasnt being funny i just wondered why you smoked, i thought you knew they were gentle bees before hand when you mentioned it. Just curious as always

I suppose I tend to smoke them, as I have what I call "the angry hive" around 300yds away, so the queen may have mated with drones from there, no amount of smoke stops them going into attack mode, I won't re queen as they produce honey three times faster than calm bees, and being in my woodland, are not a threat to anyone but me