swarmed.

[shonto]

Hi Guys
I performed an A/S two days ago as my bees were busting out the seams of my hive.
at 1pm today my main hive swarmed. ( i think i must of missed a queen cell but i really don't see how. anyway my swarm settled in my next door neighbours apple tree about 8 foot off the ground.
I put a box above them to try and entice them in. i put a box on the ground just in case and i sprayed them with water to keep them cool.
i went in the house to answer the phone and as i went back in the garden i saw the swarm fly over my house and then across several streets. I tried t0 follow them but lost them over a school about 600 meters away.
If anyone does happen to see a very pretty looking queen in Luton (LU3 area)
and i do mean the buzzing type please can you let me know.
the queen was marked light blue.
I am totally gutted after all the hard work i put in.
(obviously not enough )

 

[Hebeegeebee]

For your main hive I assume you mean the hive with the flying bees and 1 frame of brood. Did they have just foundation with the frame of brood?

 

[shonto]

no the frames were full with drawn out comb and there was a super on it 75% filled and capped. I am still slightly baffeled why they swarmed and i am amazed at the speed of which they buggered off !

 

[steve-uk]

From my experiance, you have one chance to collect a swarm as once disturbed they go where they want and this is not usually where we expect. On Saturday for some unexplaned reason, 1 week after I carried out an A/S I too had a huge swarm in my garden, only to be met with the swarm attaching itself to a neighbours juniper tree, I stayed and collected, the swarm weighed about 25lbs in weight! A huge swarm, then I relised these were not my bees at all. I went to check my hive and then found to my astonishement my black bees have now gone and Carnolians have taken over completly.
The New swarm are also Carnolians and both hives are so aggressive, both my wife and I have been stung multiple times, just by being in the area of the hives, approx 100 yds away.
The new swarm have filled 6 top bars with there own foundation and started to collect stores.
I fed them with 2kg of syrup just to keep them going and they are absolutly busy. But agressive.
My original hive is also full, both brood and honey suppers.
I only use top bars with a milled 1/2 radius on all bars with a coating of bees wax.
Stopped using foundation a long time ago, as this gives the bees plenty to do.

I would like to hear from anyone else who has had Carnolians taking over a hive.

Regards
Steve

 

[shonto]

I think from now on i may well decide to clip my queens. It's not very nice but it may make more sense than watching them fly away.

 

[oliver90owner]

the swarm weighed about 25lbs in weight!

That was some swarm!! Never ever seen one that big!!

 

[shonto]

Maybe that includes the juniper tree