rescue a mess

[menteth]

Hi there everyone, good morning.

Have just been called by a neighbour.
They had an old hive in their field.
They're not beekeepers.
Hive historic.

A swarm moved a few years ago. They leave it alone (not beekeepers)

3 days ago i get called: "They've swarmed, what shall we do" (someone told them I keep bees).

Yesterday, I went over to look. And this is what I found:

A collapsed hive. Badgers had knocked it over, and eaten all the wild comb containing the brood. What a mess. Still a fair amount of bees. Apparently the bees were all clinging to the outside of the trashed hive for a couple of days (last week).
And then off.

This is a real mess. I looked inside but could find no queen. It is however, hard to inspect as the remnants of comb are wild.

I believe that they swarmed out of distress of losing their home to badgers.
Though I could be wrong

What shall I do?

I feel the logical thing to do:
1. Find spare hive with frames
2. Swap over, the messed up hive with spare hive
3. Empty bees into new hive
4. Give them a frame of uncapped brood/eggs, so they can make a new queen? This will also give them something to do.
5. Give them lots of food.
6. Wait and see.

Does this seem like a good idea. They've had a terrible time.

Any thoughts anyone?

Thanks very much

 

[Fritillary]

That sounds to me like the kindest and most generous thing you could do.
You don't have a nuc (ie smaller box) for them, depending on how many are there?

- Assuming they must stay where they are, at least short term, so you can collect all the bees, can you protect them from anor. attack?
Or I think I would try to carry away the large part of the colony asap this eve, but leave a small box on site to collect stragglers

 

[MartinL]

- can you protect them from attack?

mmm, Badgers, wonderful & beautiful creatures, Rather like S.W.M.B.O. Delicate & pretty to look at but knows when she's on to a good thing and deadly when p!$$ed off!

Or I think I would try to carry away the large part of the colony asap this eve, but leave a small box on site to collect stragglers

Weakened from the first wave of badgers, they'll be less able to protect themselves if at all. The weather wouldn't have helped either, how many are left?

 

[menteth]

Hi there everyone,
Thanks for the replies.
There are about 3 to 4 frames of bees.
No queen.
They're inhabiting an unnecessarily big empty space too:
2 national brood boxes and a super (with no frames inside).
I believe it was just a stack of old abandoned kit

I have to leave them where they are for the short term.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Brian Bush]

That sounds to me like the kindest and most generous thing you could do.
You don't have a nuc (ie smaller box) for them, depending on how many are there?

- Assuming they must stay where they are, at least short term, so you can collect all the bees, can you protect them from anor. attack?
Or I think I would try to carry away the large part of the colony asap this eve, but leave a small box on site to collect stragglers

 

[Anduril]

If you could do a cutout and move the comb into empty frames with elastic bands and use one of the brood boxes, if they are still sturdy enough. If there are enough bees and they haven't drawn out any queen cells, then add a frame of eggs and young larvae. If the abandoned equipment has a crown board, roof and floor. Then strap it up very tight incase of another badger attack. Then move before a queen emerges.