swarm won't go down into brood box

[Beehave]

I am a newbie here so please be patient. Yesterday I caught a swarm which I've put in a hive with new frames and foundation. I didn't put a QE on as I wasn't sure where the Queen was (ie most of the bees went in the hive but some left on grass to make their way in). Later I put a contact feeder on the crownboard in an eke. This morning I've found all the bees either clustered hanging from the ceiling of the roof or crawling about on the feeder and crownboard - ie none in the brood box. What have I done wrong/what can I do now? Thank you.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Get the bee's back into the brood box,replace crown board and feeder, plus block off any other holes in crown board,then they cannot get up into roof.

 

[Tom Bick]

No need for the queen excluder until you have supers on the hive.
I suspect your crown board is one with porter Bee Escape holes and the bees have decided that the cavity above the crown board is a better place than the one with all the frames or somehow the queen ended up on top of the crown board.
Do as hivemaker suggests and hope they decide to stay

 

[BKF Admin]

Tom,I think Beehave was talking about using the QE between the floor and broodbox to keep the queen in until she starts laying..

 

[trulli1]

As Admin says get a QE between floor and bottom of Broodbox.

 

[Tom Bick]

Tom,I think Beehave was talking about using the QE between the floor and broodbox to keep the queen in until she starts laying..

Thanks admin never thought of that although I have housed a few swarms I tend to try and put something in the hive to try and hold them the queen excluder at the bottom of the BB feels a bit like caging them in.

 

[Beehave]

thanks all

 

[roche]

If you have a frame of brood (with no QCs), try putting it in the BB. They should get all maternal and stay around the brood...

 

[thurrock bees]

i would put the crown board on and cover the holes. I dont use contact feeder with my swarms i use a frame feeder. But ive never had the problem of bee clustering under the roof. I would just cover the crownboard holes .

 

[garethbryson]

drawn frames or foundation

Have you put them into a hive with drawn comb or foundation?? If it is foundation you should try and spray the wax with sugar syrup. that'll help get them on the frames and get their smell onto it, they should then start drawing it out pretty quickly.. But remember "Bee's do not read books and they usually try and do the opposite"