Swarm control, can't find the queen

[madasafish]

Thanks everyone for the advice. At last inspection Tuesday there were queen cups, so far without eggs.
There are 4/5 frames of BIAS and a couple of undrawn frames in the brood box.
My intention was to use the method outlined in the Apiarist link from Boston Bees, Stage 1, AS without finding the queen.
I will check again today, weather permitting, I just wanted to be ready if the queen cups developed into Q cells with eggs having never done AS before.

As Finman.

Play cups.

Just ignore them - your hive should not swarm - not strong enough.


Most hives produce play cups.. It's just bees doing homework in advance.

 

[Finman]

I think the Pagden method involves moving the parent colony ‘to one side’. Nothing other than that. Fairly adjacent is quite good enough. Moving the parent colony 250m at that stage is wrong. A day or so before the new queen is to emerge, the parent box should be moved a bit away from its original position (say 3m or more). That would mean moving a box 250m three times - seems like b. hard work!



Do correct me, if I am wrong.

I think Oliver, that you have not done much Padgens. I have some mistakes when the old hive is too near. When the bees notice the old aroma of home, they even walk along the lawn to their old home. And the queen with them

If the old hive is moved under 3 metre, you will learn soon, what is a good distance..

 

[Kaz]

I have reason to believe that my single broodbox National hive is planning to swarm.
I have searched for the queen but have never seen her. There is ample sealed brood and eggs.
I am planning to use the Pagden artificial swarm method.
My query is, when it says to move the parent hive more than a meter, preferably more, is it OK to move it, say, 250 meters?
I aim to finish with 2 colonies and having the second 250 meters away would be very convenient.
On a second point, when the frame of eggs and young brood is moved into the Artificial Swarm hive, is it moved with nurse bees, or are theses removed by brushing? I am only concerned about chilling the brood.
Thanks in anticipation.

If your aim is to ultimately have 2 colonies, I would simply split the colony when they are strong enough. Share the brood and stores between the 2 brood boxes, one will have the queen and the other will have the resources to make a new one? Move the second one (carefully) to wherever you want it to be?

 

[Finman]

If your aim is to ultimately have 2 colonies, I would simply split the colony when they are strong enough. Share the brood and stores between the 2 brood boxes, one will have the queen and the other will have the resources to make a new one? Move the second one (carefully) to wherever you want it to be?

That will not help. In splitting the colony it does not cut swarming fever. And in Katz's case bees are not going to swarm. No queen cells and no eggs or larvae in the cups. Lots of space still in the first brood box.

The hive is small. It is not time to do nucs or split the hive. It would be a cartastrophe if she splits 8 frame hive to 4 hive nucs. That is not a meaning of build up. I would be tearing down the colony.

It would be autumn when those splits would be real hives.

 

[Finman]

Things go well. Do nothing. In second box give foundations to the colony. It supresses swarming.

One box colony should not swarm. If it does so, it is a mad swarmer. Not easy to handle then.

 

[F.F.Stung]

Bees going to swarm-can't find the queen-do a Taranov swarm

 

[Finman]

Bees going to swarm-can't find the queen-do a Taranov swarm

Let thee queen lay in peace, and let the colony grow. That colony is not going to swarm.

And nobody should not split 8 frame colony.

 

[Colinkemp]

As Finman.

Play cups.

Just ignore them - your hive should not swarm - not strong enough.


Most hives produce play cups.. It's just bees doing homework in advance.

Checked this afternoon and no further development with the queen cups so will check again next week.