Swarm not taking to hive

[apkfjk]

I collected my first ever swarm of bees yesterday. Then today on May 23rd I transferred them into the hive. Had to buy some more foundation and build up some frames, used the guidance from the local Brighton and Lewes Bee Keepers association and removed five of the middle frames, then banged the bees into the void(ensuring the entrance was blocked), then placed the cover board on and roof. At first glance, they seem healthy, busy buzzing and plenty of fanning near the entrance.
Came home this evening at 9pm to be greeted to this with the swarm. Does not look like they are taking to the hive. Emailed the local Bee Assc. and will wait back for a response, now gonna pop onto the Bee forum and see if anyone else has/is experiencing this? or any suggestions you may have

Thanks in advance

 

[skaj]

I had a similar experience yesterday.

Advice was that the bees need to do 'some sorting out' inside the hive.

I went to bed nervous that I would have to recapture the swarm, but in the morning they were not on the outside any more (not sure they were on the inside either!!) but activity seemed good this evening.

 

[apkfjk]

Thanks Skaj, thats good to know. some advice I got was to go out tomorrow morning approx 7am, brush into a cardboard box and bang them back into the hive(removing middle frames again), but this time with a completely sealed entrance. I'll go to bed and probably have anther sleepless night, as I worried about them last night aswell, keeping them in the travel hive longer then I would have liked.

 

[adrian wilford]

have you got a drawn out frame or old frame with used comb on, usually stay then, although i hived a swarm 4 times, once each day and on the fith day they buggered off!!!

 

[apkfjk]

I only have some drawn out Super frames from last years bees. I had thought about using one.....

 

[MuswellMetro]

My grand father use to burn newspaper in a NEW hive to get rid of the new wood smell if hiving a swarm

i use an old drawn frames slightly damaged to give them something to repair and somewhere for the queen to lay

 

[Pete D]

Try a queen excluder under the brood box if you are putting them in via the open top, although the queen should be skinny it may help pen her in and thus keep the bees there too
Pete D

 

[apkfjk]

Got up this morning before 6am, large box, brush and sugar water. Brushed as many as I could into the box, sealed up the entrance, banged them into the hive, crown board with feeder and finally roof. About a 1/4 left outside, congregating around the entrance and roof edge.
When I get home tonight will top-up the feeder with 1:1 suagr water and open the entrance and see how that goes.

 

[enrico]

Hope you have a mesh floor. Hot days and sealed hives equals dead bees!!

 

[Beeline]

anyone else has/is experiencing this? or any suggestions you may have.

A swarm arrived yesterday and moved into my bait box on the roof of my garage. It's in full sun all day - very little shade. Anyway later they left and swarmed into a nearby tree.

Being an absolute scorcher yesterday I thought that perhaps it was the heat inside the hive that was putting them off so I moved the box into a partially shaded area and shook them into the hive. They seem fine and settled now.

My point being that if your hive is in direct sun, in this heat, you may want to try a cooler position and see if they are happy. A drawn frame, even if it was a shallow would help as you can always remove it later. Good luck.

 

[george]

Even better if you have a hive already is a frame of open brood . Very unlikely to abandon them ( but not always the case).
Makes a good varroa trap at the same time .
G

 

[Bates]

Even better if you have a hive already is a frame of open brood . Very unlikely to abandon them ( but not always the case).
Makes a good varroa trap at the same time .
G

I always try to put a frame of brood in with a swarm so they do not leave again.

 

[ROACHMAN]

I caught a swarm on Tuesday and put it in a new hive with foundation with a queen excluder underneath.

Checked the following day and the bees had vanished, queen must have squeezed through the excluder

 

[apkfjk]

I removed the foam block from the entrance this evening at 7pm, add some more sugar solution 1:1, have just gone out to check and seems alot have come out.
The hive has a mesh floor, the varroa board removed and the hive is in a sheltered shady spot, infact put a sun umbrella up to add more shade.

I don't have any drawn out brood frames, so thats a non-starter, just have the foundation on frame. Lets see what happens tonight and tomorrow morning, hope I don't have to get up at 6am again to brush them into a cardboard box and seal them in the hive again, would be just nice for them to take to it.