Swarm spotted

[Iainwilk01]

I spotted a swarm about 15-20' up in a tree on my way to work this evening. Obviously I didn't have any equipment with me and had to leave them. What I'm wondering is, what are the chances of them still 'beeing' there tomorrow morning. Will they survive the night and will they stay in the same spot til they find a perminant home?
Cheers

 

[bingevader]

All the imponderables!
They should have enough honey to keep them going for a few days.
However, if they've found somewhere suitable, they won't hang around.

 

[beeno]

They will survive the night because they are clustered.

 

[madasafish]

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Post 30 April

 

[Iainwilk01]

Wasn't sure as it dropped to 3 degrees last night but went today and still there. Managed to get them though and put them in an empty nuc box.
Am I best to leave them now until it cools down this evening to grab the stragglers before emptying them into a hive? This is my 1st swarm

 

[Karsal]

Wasn't sure as it dropped to 3 degrees last night but went today and still there. Managed to get them though and put them in an empty nuc box.
Am I best to leave them now until it cools down this evening to grab the stragglers before emptying them into a hive? This is my 1st swarm

If you can leave the box with the swarm close but safely out of the way of people. You can pick it up later this evening at dusk when I would think that all the scouts have returned to the swarm.
In my first year catching swarms I was unaware of the impact of just catching a swarm and rushing away with it once in the box.
I realized after the second swarm caught this way I had a second phone call from the resident to say there were still dozens of bees on her garden wall later that evening.
I always leave the box now and return later. I do put a little sign pinned to the box warning people of the contents and to please leave alone.

 

[alldigging]

All the imponderables!
They should have enough honey to keep them going for a few days.
However, if they've found somewhere suitable, they won't hang around.

Or if someone else has rung the swarm collector and they're being / been collected.

 

[Iainwilk01]

Well, after the buzz of collecting the swarm and spending the rest of my day building frames for their new home, I went to collect them in the evening and the box was empty, they had flown off! Gutted to say the least. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty more chances

 

[ShinySideUp]

Well, after the buzz of collecting the swarm and spending the rest of my day building frames for their new home, I went to collect them in the evening and the box was empty, they had flown off! Gutted to say the least. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty more chances

I wonder if a way to keep them would have been to have a small amount of syrup in the nuc box just to make the place more hospitable. Perhaps I am being anthropomorphic though (add a TV and a few beers perhaps, that would keep me there).

 

[pargyle]

I wonder if a way to keep them would have been to have a small amount of syrup in the nuc box just to make the place more hospitable. Perhaps I am being anthropomorphic though (add a TV and a few beers perhaps, that would keep me there).

Nope ... doesn't work. Swarm collection is about physically getting them into a container (of a suitable size for the swarm) and ensuring you get the queen in there. If they like the box you have put (shaken very often) them into then the flying bees will return, smell the queen pheremones, and join their sisters in the box.

After dusk ... and this is very important so I'll say it again AFTER DUSK you then remove the box to where you want the bees to be located in your apiary. If you don't leave it until after dusk then the flyers will still be hanging around where the swarm was and they will be a nuisance as they have nowhere to go and no purpose (assuming you have caught the queen).

Of course, if for some reason they don't like the box you have put them in - or the scouts come back and tell their sisters that they have found just the chimney, hollow tree, empty box, compost bin etc. that would be better and they believe the scouts - then they could push off anyway.

 

[beeno]

Well, after the buzz of collecting the swarm and spending the rest of my day building frames for their new home, I went to collect them in the evening and the box was empty, they had flown off! Gutted to say the least. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty more chances

Not unusual. Considering all the work involved, that's why most beeks put a QX on once they think the queen is in there.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

.................. I went to collect them in the evening and the box was empty, they had flown off!..............

What rotten luck. There is a line of thought which suggests keeping swarms confined (in a cool dark place) without food for three days after taking them. They will use all their stores of honey, so no foul brood transmitted and often there is more than one queen in the swarm, confinement solves that. A swarm so treated is unlikely to abscond when released.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Well, after the buzz of collecting the swarm and spending the rest of my day building frames for their new home, I went to collect them in the evening and the box was empty, they had flown off! Gutted to say the least. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty more chances

I usually use a nuc box to collect swarms, however I always have a full set of frames in it. Usually it can be old manky comb or at least drawn comb. So far I haven't lost a swarm yet this way (except for the one that was far too big and should have been immediately transferred to a full size hive!!).