Queenless swarm?

[JonnyPicklechin]

Glorious 18 deg day. Popped out in the garden and was treated to a glorious swarm. I had just performed a NUC AS on this hive yesterday. However poor notes and memory had me wondering why I thought a red marked queen was now a lovely big "markless" one..that was wirdly found on an outmost frame which I collected and housed in the Nuc.

Anyway I watched in wonder and was resigned to see them dissappear and land somewhere else, hopeful I would see where.

However rather than collect in that marvellous way on the air so you can follow the queen and her closest throng, they all seemed to gyrate around the general area, heavy in the air but very dispursed, and then slowly over about 10 minutes go back to the hive.

Will they / can the still perform a swarm motion and then return sometimes? Or have i witnessed something else?

I suppose it is also possible they did swarm but the cast was small and many simply returned?

Was the queen missing which is why they went back?

Finally, I am now followed by a troup of very defensive bees from the hive....All urging me to bugger off.

Thoughts?




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[JonnyPicklechin]

PS I have no clipped queens.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Could you have a virgin in there? sounds like a classic 'queenie's off to see the boys' scenario

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Could you have a virgin in there? sounds like a classic 'queenie's off to see the boys' scenario

That would make sense. But do you get huge hive activity sometimes? Does the VQ off on her date cause such ructions with the rest of the colony performing swarmy actions?

I think the marked queen has gone and this may have been a second cast. Remember yesterday I NUC-ed a queen from this hive that looked like a virgin (principally because she was walking on the outer most frame furthest from the entrance, one with no comb) so maybe there were two virgins? I had seen cells but thought they were new but may have been chewed and used.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If a queen is not with the 'attempted' swarm, they will go back to the hive.

A queen will not mate until 5 -6 days after emerging. Is the timing right for this?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That would make sense. But do you get huge hive activity sometimes? Does the VQ off on her date cause such ructions with the rest of the colony performing swarmy actions?

Yes - witnessed it quite a few times with nucs I know only had virgin queens in (see pics)

A queen will not mate until 5 -6 days after emerging. Is the timing right for this?

if conditions are right she will fly the day after emerging.

 

[Beefriendly]

That would make sense. But do you get huge hive activity sometimes? Does the VQ off on her date cause such ructions with the rest of the colony performing swarmy actions?

Yes, sometimes but not always. It's her entourage.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Mad....

My gut feel is to open up the colony again that swarmed-and-returned and see if I can find a queen. If it is a virgin shall I leave her now and make sure there are no other QCs and then add a super with comb and just hope they dont bugger off? The original hive was young anyway (only 4 weeks from an overwintered NUC) has not been reduced (because of the queen to NUC method.). There is bags of space in there now.

Or I could squish her and introduce another overwintered, mated queen via cage? But would they take off with her?

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Yes - witnessed it quite a few times with nucs I know only had virgin queens in (see pics)


if conditions are right she will fly the day after emerging.

Learning learning learning...slowly and unsurely. Ta!