Swarm after Inspection - What did I do wrong?

[user 2776]

I've been checking my hive regularly to feed them recently. They're in a National, and this year were in a double brood box, with QE and a super. The super was where I had been feeding. They had been doing well I thought, apart from not having much in the way of stores - hence the feeding. They've been a bit aggressive for the last year and tend to follow. I'd gone for the DBB because each year I seem to get at least one big swarm disappearing (despite AS and other swarm management manoeuvres, and never seem to have a big enough colony by the end of the season to take honey.

As the warm weather had arrived, I thought I'd do a full inspection. I hadn't seen the queen since she started laying in September last year, but hadn't worried as there had always been staggered brood and/or eggs (except for the really cold spell in April).

They were aggressive as usual, but I went through both BBs. Top one had scattered brood at all stages, some eggs, in 5 frames (a lot of drones in one of the outer frames), some nectar and a little pollen. There were a handful of small cups, and one Queen cell with royal jelly in it - not capped and at the bottom of a frame.

The bottom BB had one full frame of good capped brood (both sides) and a few with honey and a bit more pollen.

I didn't find the queen, but had been as careful as possible not to let her drop anywhere.

Given the weather and forecast, I took away the remaining feed and filled the super with more empty foundation in frames, and closed up.

I kept my suit on for a while to wait for the followers to give up, and carried on doing some garden tidying around the hive area. After a few minutes, I was aware of the noise around my head getting louder. I ignored it at first, and then realised it was quietening down. As I looked around, I just saw a smallish (compared to the one I saw leave my hive last year) disappearing out of the garden at a rate of knots.

I was really hoping to build up a bigger colony this year to finally have some honey, but once again I seem to have been thwarted. What is most disappointing is that this time I feel it was possibly my own intervention that triggered the swarm. Any (polite) suggestions as to what I could have done differently

Thanks

 

[Polyanwood]

Did you see any eggs? What you describe sounds more like bees accompanying a virgin going off on a mating flight. Perfect day for it too.

 

[user 2776]

There were some eggs.

If it were a virgin going off, wouldn't I have expected to have seen one or more empty queen cells? I hope you're right though...

 

[plumberman]

With a tetchy colony it takes some confidence to be able to inspect fully; I'd normally trying and gently shake off flyers to examine comb fully. If you saw one charged queen cell, then it is a possibility that you missed others in a more advanced state, in which case you may have lost a swarm.

 

[user 2776]

Thanks. Although still quite new to this (3rd season) I did feel quite confident that I'd seen all the frames fairly well on this occasion - I did move the bees off here and there too in order to check - and would be surprised if I had missed either full or vacated QC (they don't run and hide like the queen do they?!). I accept it could have happened however...do you think there is anything to be gained by doing it again to make sure?

 

[user 2776]

An update - I think Polyanwood was probably right. I still have eggs and brood at all stages (and quite a lot of bees too), as I presume my overwintered queen (unmarked) is still laying. Thanks

 

[oliver90owner]

I think Polyanwood was probably right. I still have eggs and brood at all stages (and quite a lot of bees too), as I presume my overwintered queen (unmarked) is still laying.

What Polyandwood said: Did you see any eggs? What you describe sounds more like bees accompanying a virgin going off on a mating flight. Perfect day for it too.

Possible, if there was a virgin queen and supercedure was in progress, but you also said: and one Queen cell with royal jelly in it - not capped and at the bottom of a frame.

Altogether, none of that would add up.

 

[user 2776]

So, do have a more plausible explanation? I agree, it all seems a bit odd. That's why I posted.

I did accept that I may have missed something - such as a previous supercedure cell. As I explained, this had been the first full inspection of both boxes (and had answered re the eggs).