'Swarm' under open mesh floor

[Etton]

Any thoughts on this picture?
QC was due to hatch a couple of days ago and I find a 'swarm' under the omf.
I am sure I had reduced the hive to one queen cell.

 

[MartinL]

I find a 'swarm' under the omf.

Are you sure it's a swarm?
Is the hive empty?

It was very hot & humid yesterday, they could just be a bit hot inside?

Have you checked to see if the QC has been broken down, I assume they were Q-?

 

[enrico]

I would set up a hive. Put a white sheet from the ground to the entrance. Sweep the bees into a box and empty the box onto the sheet. As they climb the sheet watch out for the queen. The more eyes the better. If you have a queen you probably have a swarm. If you don't then it could just be bees underflying the entrance. Once you get enough underneath they will think it is part of the hive. You may even find comb. Just replace them into the original hive. Block off the area between the entrance and the ground to stop them underflying
E

 

[eltalia]

What Enrico said as to method.
Why is where I differ.
Queen has flown, been mated, and because of OMF lost her way.
You could leave it be and she may well find her way back buuuut
proactive wins the day. Capture and dump into the box.

Bill

 

[beeno]

Yes, go to it! Can't wait to find out if you have got a queen in there. I have been told that in those situations you do?

 

[linoleum bonypart]

As Bill said

 

[Beefriendly]

As Bill said

Question is what on earth was it that Bill said or was trying to say?
Remember the Bill Murray film "Lost in Translation"?

 

[Curly green fingers]

Question is what on earth was it that Bill said or was trying to say?
Remember the Bill Murray film "Lost in Translation"?

Was he trying to say it's a primary swarm ??

 

[Beefriendly]

Was he trying to say it's a primary swarm ??

Don't know.... I gave up attempting to translate (and reading) about a 1000 posts ago. Life is too short.

 

[For want of a better word]

What Enrico said as to method.
Why is where I differ.
Queen has flown, been mated, and because of OMF lost her way.
You could leave it be and she may well find her way back buuuut
proactive wins the day. Capture and dump into the box.

Bill

Probability is as our Australian compatriot says.... VQ has been out mated and gone to the wrong side of the floor....capture and dump into the box!

Chons da

 

[Curly green fingers]

Don't know.... I gave up attempting to translate (and reading) about a 1000 posts ago. Life is too short.

Indeed ...
/ Eyes rolling/
To the left and to the right.

Sent from my Nokia 1 using Tapatalk

 

[Curly green fingers]

Probability is as our Australian compatriot says.... VQ has been out mated and gone to the wrong side of the floor....capture and dump into the box!



Chons da

Dump that sounds like something I do every morning , that's sarcasm..

Sent from my Nokia 1 using Tapatalk

 

[Etton]

What Enrico said as to method.
Why is where I differ.
Queen has flown, been mated, and because of OMF lost her way.
You could leave it be and she may well find her way back buuuut
proactive wins the day. Capture and dump into the box.

Bill

Thanks Bill, i get it. I agree I think the Q has underflown the entrance and ended up under the omf. Yes, even a little comb there. I have captured and 'dumped' back into the hive. Alls now quiet with no bees underneath. Next task in several days is to look for eggs.

 

[beeno]

Keep an eye on them though just in case "you missed one" and now have two queens in there.

 

[eltalia]

Thanks Bill, i get it. I agree I think the Q has underflown the entrance and ended up under the omf. Yes, even a little comb there. I have captured and 'dumped' back into the hive. Alls now quiet with no bees underneath. Next task in several days is to look for eggs.

/thumbs/

Bill

 

[masterBK]

I have had several swarms under OMFs over the last decade. Not all of them came from the hive above the OMF floor and surprisingly not all of them came from other hives within the apiary (also my bait hives within the apiary also attract swarms from other peoples colonies as their scout bees tend to select sites a distance away from the parent colony). I have put this photo on this forum once before but thought it worth another outing.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I have had several swarms under OMFs over the last decade. Not all of them came from the hive above the OMF floor and surprisingly not all of them came from other hives within the apiary (also my bait hives within the apiary also attract swarms from other peoples colonies as their scout bees tend to select sites a distance away from the parent colony). I have put this photo on this forum once before but thought it worth another outing.

Out of interest how long did it take them to build that comb?

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Make ur entrances more visible and distinctive ... Coloured spots... Painted marks etc

 

[masterBK]

Out of interest how long did it take them to build that comb?

No idea, as I didn't realise it was there until I decided to move the hive. There was a marked laying queen in the hive above so the swarm below the OMF (whose queen was unmarked) must have come from elsewhere.