Swarm control disaster

[Cedar]

Hi all,

~I found A Queen Cell with occupant. I couldn't find the queen so did a shook swarm on 12 April. I had a quick peek at at the hive this morning as we had a good break in the weather,with the QC and Queen uncapped and hopefully off being mated.

The other hive that should have had the old Queen on new frames with I frame of brood from original hive. Have been feeding fondant.
Looked today and No eggs lots of dead bees on the floor frame very yellow dead bees still in cells half uncapped. I have taken a couple of pics that I will post later. I have to leave for work now.

Both hives very active when the weather allowed them to be what do I do next. Not sure our other hive is doing so well either put a test frame in a month ago and a quick look last Thursday showed no eggs yet either!

Thanks C

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Do you mean artificial swarm or shook swarm?

 

[Cedar]

Shook swarm. I think That it was probably starvation. May be syrup would have been better and I didn't feed straight away. Will merge back with original hive but don't know for sure yet whether the newly hatched queen is alive and been mated.
Now all I need is another good days weather.
Still got lots to learn.
C

 

[VEG]

you shook swarmed them in this weather and didnt feed?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

When you say very yellow dead bees do you mean bees or larvae?
Don't unite them back again until you are sure what's gone wrong.
Are you sure there was a queen there when you split the hive? or had she swarmed already.
Shook swarm is when you shake all the bees off the old comb into a hive with all foundation.
A/S is when you take the queen and some brood out into another hive on the same spot as the old one and put the QC and rest of brood some distance away.

 

[drstitson]

if you cant find the queen you have to SS to do an AS!!!!

 

[Cedar]

Hi all,
No excuse for not feeding, just stupid! The yellow is more onthe wood of the frames and the wax they have worked on. Yellow like the Pollen they have brought in when they get the chance.

What I don't understand is why they look ok from the out side. On a day like today they are happily and successfuly foraging and are as calm as they were last year. If things are really bad shouldn't i expect them to be a little stroppy?

I will have to leave OH to do whatever is neccesary tomorrow as he is off.

Re the reunite with newspaper- the 2 hives are adjacent to each other will the flying bees from the moved Brood box be let in when they find that their home has gone and go looking next door? Or should we bung the door up whilst they are tucked up indoors and re unite as soon as possible in morning?


Thanks
C

 

[RoofTops]

By your description in the OP you did an artifical swarm. If you had done a shook swarm there would only be one hive.

Was the queen and foundation on the site of the orginal hive? It needs to be for the AS otherwise all the flying bees will scarper.

But as others have commented, if the weather was bad and they had zero stores, which they would have in an AS apart from any stores on the frame with the queen, they would have starved in a few days if they were not able to get out to gather water - rain water collection not being fitted to most hives.

 

[Cedar]

Thanks for your reply Rooftops,

Yes the Queen and foundation is on the original site. ( managed to get that bit right)

What do you think I should do next? Do you think I should feed syrup or fondant?

More newby questions sorry

Should I leave them split or do the newspaper re unite, as I don't yet know if I have a queens.

Sorry to be a pain I'm trying to do the right thing and then just mess up

C

 

[RoofTops]

Although tempting, and we are guilty of this often here, it is always difficult to advise from a distance, without being able to see the colonies. Is there anyone local you can ask to look and advise you?

My instinct tells me you have a duff queen who failed to mate but I could be wrong and would not want to be guilty of sending her to The Tower if she is innocent. Which was why I suggested hedging your bets and give her more time but also see if you can raise a queen from a frame of eggs.

You could if course look round for a replacement queen but I doubt they will be available in your area before June (unless you can find an over-wintered one) by which time a queenless colony will be dead. So uniting is an option but there is always the risk of your good (and only) queen being killed. So as you have a strong nuc I would leave the good queen alone and let her build up a new colony of her own.

 

[richardbees]

Cedar

If they look content, leave them alone for a fortnight as there is probably a virgin Q in the second hive.

To be on the safe side you could feed 1:1 syrup in a contact feeder

 

[Cedar]

Thanks guys, I do appreciate the advise.

We will feed and leave alone a little longer. We don't have a mentor tho' we are members of a bka, just not the one nearest us. Haven't thought to ask if anyone would be able to come over. I will ask.

Thanks again
C