Swarm saturday

[BKF Admin]

Any idea what day they are due to hatch ?

 

[Heather]

Timings -refer again to my dial http://oldeee.see.ed.ac.uk/~mrichar1/bees/wheel.pdf

What a day yesterday!!

Saturday,I had a hive with 3 queen cells -and a great queen, loads of room, loads of brood, second super waiting to be drawn-- so I removed the queen cells to needy Nucs - They swarmed 4 hours later!!!!
Mikethebee's clipped lovely queen nowhere to be seen. They were 30' up a neighbours blasted ash tree- the bane of my life . I was just contemplating the access, when the phone went. Farmer had 3 nice casts 1/2 hour away. (I had collected one swarm from him the day before) I hoicked a sacrificial brood frame up a pruning pole next to the bees in my garden, then went to collect the casts.....
One cast had legged it- but the lovely farmer had made me a scaffolding frame to climb up ( I did tease him - asking if he had a health and safety assessment risk form completed!!! ) Collected the others, they were on adjoining branches so treated as one.
Then back to see that my swarm had covered the brood frame and so I was able to lower that gently to the collecting box.Gathered most but a decent amount still remained so hubby's fishing keep net was connected to the pole and we scooped most of the rest.
I have yet to explore my swarm to see if that clipped queen is there - can I have a refund if clipping insufficient
But they are settled.

Questions , questions - If I explore original hive and find NO queen ( I did nick all q cells) can I bung this swarm back in to original colony- or may they leg it again?? Better to start another colony-and requeen the first???

P.s. The neighbour was unaware of the swarm and I could reach from my side

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Heather that dial attchement is great, thanks for posting.

Off now to waste some compnay money with 2 sheets of A4 and a couple of laminator bags

 

[BKF Admin]

I had the wheel printed off cut out and laminated within an hour of posting.
Thanks Heather.

 

[grizzly]

Admin
I inspected on the 9th, assuming they sealed the cells on the 8th, they should hatch around the 15th - 18th.

i must have missed a few eggs in cups when i inspected on the 2nd.

 

[Bucks_Boy]

Heather - I had one of Mike's nuc's last year in the first week of June that started producing Q cells by the end of July so I artificially swarmed them as per Hooper --- they absconded 2 days later leaving a small cluster keeping the brood frame warm but NO Q cells in the AS broodbox.
Fortunately, the main colony produced a fine healthy queen that layed up well into winter and this spring was on double brood by early April -- despite donating frames to nucs and with 2 supers of foundation drawn out, Q cells appeared late April so I tried an AS as per Hooper BUT put a Queen excluder under the brood box.
I understand from my father who happened to be cutting the grass in the Apiary 3 days later that the sound and sight of a large swarm was quite impressive, but fortunately this time they all went back in and when I inspected in the evening, a rather dejected queen was wandering around still in the broodbox.... I put her and a frame of stores covered with bees plus 4 of foundation in a Nuc, in a dark place in the garage and only let them out to fly late the following afternoon at a different apiary.... my reasoning is that such a small colony is unlikely to swarm and if it does, then I havent lost much.
Combining the original hives together made them a little "frisky" for a few days but the third super went on this morning and I've seen an empty Q cell so there's a virgin in there somewhere -- as for the old queen, her little band have already drawn out some comb and she's started laying so they have earned a decent feed of syrup and a donated frame of sealed brood......

I understand the carnolian strain is supposed to be a little more "swarmy" than others so perhaps a bolder technique is required to keep them in a box when the mood takes them.

Mind you, I have a colony of local mongrels that certainly had not read snelgroves book when I tried his fancy board !
I know I should clip, but still waiting for a decent demonstation in my local association - all my attempts with drones have proved fatal !

 

[Geoff]

I know I should clip, but still waiting for a decent demonstation in my local association - all my attempts with drones have proved fatal !

If you tried using scissors I think Marcos is selling a sort of clipper thing on his web site
http://www.buzzybeeshop.co.uk/

 

[BKF Admin]

Its a nice webstore.

I was talking with a member who placed a large order a few weeks back and is very pleased with the service he got.

Use it or lose it !!!

 

[Geoff]

He is also cheaper than t'other place and you get personal service cause he writes back to you. If I get into queen breeding I will certainly be giving him my custom.

 

[Heather]

Yippee - my lovely clipped queen that swarmed last Sunday was 30' up that tree... now safely in the new hive .Settled and back on track.
The day is brighter