quick for a cast swarm

[ratcatcher]

I picked up what I feel would be classed as a cast swarm on the 18th june, about the size of a small football, placed them in a poly 6 frame nuc, with wax starter strips on rose frames, did an inspection today, not only have they drawn out half frames of comb on 5 frames, but I have eggs on two frames, these bees are a different colour than all my other bees, where my other bees are almost black, these are a lovely light tan,
any suggestions to the breed??

 

[Travelator]

Probably not a cast swarm after all then, because a virgin queen would normally take longer than a week that to get mated and start laying.

Regarding the type of bee - can you post a picture?
I would suggest that anyone who claims they can identify it based solely on the bees being described as "light tan" is a complete charlatan!

 

[ratcatcher]

that makes sense, someone else put a post up a little while ago about the differences between cast and prime, looks like you cant believe that only big swarms are primes.

the queen was seen and marked, I suppose came from someone who don't mark queens?
having scrolled through pictures on the net, I reckon she's Italian

 

[Tom Bick]

Italian

 

[REDWOOD]

A football size swarm is probably a prime

 

[Tremyfro]

I have just collected my full colony. They are light brown. When you look carefully, the abdomen is very dark but with very light fawn stripes. So the overall impression is light brown. They are Carniolan.

 

[Travelator]

Italian

Sensible guess, and what I would have said too, based on the information available - but still... charlatan! (see above)

 

[Ben90]

If by "tan" you mean like this, then Carniolan.

 

[ratcatcher]

If by "tan" you mean like this, then Carniolan.

nope, nothing like that, I'll get a picture sorted

 

[oliver90owner]

Sorry about my PM. Was not sure why you would go into so much detail re collection unless you wanted some comment, but your only question was actually on strain!

Dates are important. Swarm could have been hanging around a couple days by the eighteenth. No mention of emerged brood nor age of eggs. So not enough to determine prime or cast without you taking more note of the finer detail. If bees swarmed on the 18th and there were hatching eggs already on the 25th, most likely a prime. If queen were marked, almost certainly a prime. Only day one eggs could have been a cast at a push.

As to strain? Probably mongrel. I'm part colour colourblind, so not the best on strain by colour.

 

[ratcatcher]

Sorry about my PM. Was not sure why you would go into so much detail re collection unless you wanted some comment, but your only question was actually on strain!

Dates are important. Swarm could have been hanging around a couple days by the eighteenth. No mention of emerged brood nor age of eggs. So not enough to determine prime or cast without you taking more note of the finer detail. If bees swarmed on the 18th and there were hatching eggs already on the 25th, most likely a prime. If queen were marked, almost certainly a prime. Only day one eggs could have been a cast at a push.

As to strain? Probably mongrel. I'm part colour colourblind, so not the best on strain by colour.

cheers olly, now I can understand what your asking,

the swarm was phoned into me (I'm listed with the council as a bee keeper and pest controller)
they had only been on the bush for that day, having arrived a few hours before I collected,
they were housed in the poly nuc with no foundation, just wax starters
10 days later, they have built on 5 frames, the eggs were on two frames, all looked 1 day and older, no larvae or brood, queen was unmarked