Swarm saturday

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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 :svengo:- 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:cheers2:
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:hat:
 
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:toetap05:
 
I had the wheel printed off cut out and laminated within an hour of posting.
Thanks Heather.
 
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.
 
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 !
 
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 !!!
 
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.
 
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:cheers2:
 

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