Swarm ignores hives and fills a feeder

[m100]

Gets home this evening to find an incoming swarm has ignored the three 6 frame nucs filled with old brood frames, a national filled with old brood frames...and instead they have moved into an ashforth feeder that was almost covered by a crown board, a varroa floor insert and a brick. If they had flown just 8 inches lower they could have hived themselves in a perfectly good brood box.

(The ashforth feeder/crownboard/varroa insert was a makeshift roof for a spare national and floor at the top of a stack of spare supers and brood boxes)

What happened to 'lets leave en-masse and find a new home of about 40 litres capacity' ?

 

[Skyhook]

I think they just like to let us know who's really making the decisions- stop us getting complacent

 

[chickendave]

Look on the bright side at least you have not got to move them to far to hive them

 

[oliver90owner]

Can they not access the brood/super boxes via the Ashforth? That would increase the size available to them!

Regards, RAB

 

[m100]

Can they not access the brood/super boxes via the Ashforth? That would increase the size available to them!

Not with the perspex cover over the 'U' in place. (I've another feeder protecting the supers further down the stack) I've no idea what made the feeder so attractive. It was scrubbed a week or so ago with hot washing soda.

The bees are hanging down the feeder and the hive side. Obviously scouts with no sense of direction which, considering their gender, isn't too surprising

 

[Blue Spinnaker]

Obviously scouts with no sense of direction which, considering their gender, isn't too surprising



Well someone had to comment lol!!

 

[jezshim]

Obviously scouts with no sense of direction which, considering their gender, isn't too surprising



Well someone had to comment lol!!

Brave, very brave. Sit back and wait for flack!!!

 

[m100]

Now hived ... 8 inches lower. The feeder was really heavy and heaving with bees, quite a bit of wild comb on the crownboard over the feeder with nectar already deposited. No sign of a marked queen.