Swarm in my garden and I am at work part 2

[moby]

Well as it turns out I got home and the swarm had moved up into the skep that my wife had put over them.... to be certain I did a quick inspection on my hives to see if it was one of mine that had swarmed my fears were confirmed 2 sealed queen cells and no sign of the queen and no eggs which suggests that she had stopped laying about 5/6 days ago but most puzzling though was that the my queen in this hive had both wings clipped quite drastically and marked what I couldn't understand how the swarm was really high up...... so as it was getting dark I put a new hive in the apiary put a sheet over the ramp to the entrance and shook them onto the sheet, promptly they all started marching up to the entrance couldnt see the queen so went in for something to eat and then went to check after, all had moved into the hive and were fanning, pretty much textbook stuff, next morning the hive was empty but it looks like they all returned to the original hive from which the swarmed any advice / thoughts welcome

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Supersedure then swarm?

 

[enrico]

I expect that this will upset some but that is why I don't clip my queens. they all try to swarm. She falls in the grass they can't find her and go back. The first virgin out then feels the swarming urge from everyone and goes for it. I will lay money (10p max) that the queen in your swarm is a virgin!
E

 

[oliver90owner]

So, enrico, are you suggesting this beekeeper is not checking his hives even fortnightly? Eight days for a swarm and another eight days for the virgin to emerge and swarm?

RAB

 

[moby]

I check on a weekly basis unfortunately I checked one hive on the Wed and the weather was against me to do the other so was going to do it at the first opportunity the Friday unfortunately they beat me by a few hours I felt that things were ok with this hive as I only found a few play cups previously, as for clipping wings, it came form my mentor like that his philosophy is rather a clipped wing than an exterminator killing the whole colony when theyve gone into somebodys airbrick.

 

[oliver90owner]

rather a clipped wing than an exterminator killing the whole colony when theyve gone into somebodys airbrick.

Now that is a good urgument for clipping!