Textbook AS? Well...

[BeeMoustashe]

Completed an artificial swarm last sunday, old queen in new box on old site, old hive on new site etc. Went well, watched the queen carefully back into the hive, all well so far.

Went though the 'swarm' today, to make sure Queenie was laying ok and there were no more swarm cells to cock everything up. There were swarm cells... No eggs, no queen. Definetly didn't squash her last time, so I think the bees may have just balled her for reasons best known to themselves.

So now I have only two hives, with two queen cells each. Lets hope the weather picks up for these suddenly very important mating flights.

@rse it.

 

[pwlbw]

Hi, Did you put a queen excluder on the bottom of the hive with the queen in? Leave it there for a few days until you know she is laying?

 

[BeeMoustashe]

no didn't do that... however given the packed state of the hive I'd say no flying bees have left with her absconding

 

[oliver90owner]

Hi, Did you put a queen excluder on the bottom of the hive with the queen in? Leave it there for a few days until you know she is laying?

Pretty well inappropriate for an A/S. Where have you seen that promulgated?

RAB

 

[REDWOOD]

What else did you put in the new hive with the old queen on a frame of brood

 

[BeeMoustashe]

Queen on frame of brood, filled brood box with foundation, then super (full of honey and bees) over QE.

 

[Finman]

.
I have never met that in AS bees ball the queen.

But the queen may become slimmer and it is difficult to see if you expect to see a fat mum.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

.
I have never met that in AS bees ball the queen.

But the queen may become slimmer and it is difficult to see if you expect to see a fat mum.

HM is (was?) marked and usually not a problem to spot, and today had no eggs and grumpy bees in a normally marvellous hive. Couple those with the (sealed) queen cells, I'm happy (well, not 'happy', but you get my point!) to put my neck on the line to say she's not there.

Can only assume the weather wasn't to their liking for the procedure and they panicked and killed her. No idea why. Would have thought that if the weather was sub-optimum they wouldn't be trying to swarm in the first place but there you go!

 

[Tom Bick]

HM is (was?) marked and usually not a problem to spot, and today had no eggs and grumpy bees in a normally marvellous hive. Couple those with the (sealed) queen cells, I'm happy (well, not 'happy', but you get my point!) to put my neck on the line to say she's not there.

Can only assume the weather wasn't to their liking for the procedure and they panicked and killed her. No idea why. Would have thought that if the weather was sub-optimum they wouldn't be trying to swarm in the first place but there you go!

Am I reading this right you had a queen cell with the queen? If so you are right she is most likely not there.

 

[VEG]

did you put the queen into any sort of container before putting her into the hive, or did you just transfer the comb she was on?

 

[BeeMoustashe]

Tom, yes cells in hive with the queen. Or not as it seems!

No, queenie went over on the frame, free to go wherever she needed to keep laying

 

[oliver90owner]

Tom could well be spot on. They stayed in swarming mode, built queen cells on young larvae and has since swarmed. It happens.

RAB

 

[Finman]

.
When I have made Ar. swarms , it takes 3 days that the queen starts to lay eggs.

.

 

[Tom Bick]

Tom could well be spot on. They stayed in swarming mode, built queen cells on young larvae and has since swarmed. It happens.

RAB

It would seem to be the case Rab.

Bad luck BeeMoustache still all is not lost.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

Well, at least they left a good amount of bees behind as they left! No complaints from the neighbours which has always been my bee-fear so if they have swarmed, so be it they can recover. Just need weather on my side!

Edit: just to note, when the frame with brood and queen went into new hive, it was clear of queen cells. Cells were made (and queen vanished) in 7 days since.

 

[drex]

This has almost happened to me. Defintely no Qc's on frame on which queen was transferred, rest of hive filled with foundation, and a week later QC's. Queen still present. Tore them down, and that was the end of their swarm fever.

 

[flemage]

Hi

This happen to me as well made AS, transferd queen on frame of brood clean of queen cells with brood in all stages. It was taken from a big hive on a double brood every thing seems to go fine next inspection capped queen cells no queen.

Still a lot of bees there. just as a point when i made the AS there was a closed queen cell and a bunch of other charged cells but found queen. I thought i was lucky at that point.

They must have just realy wanted to swarm and i realy need to check my inspection timings!

 

[MJBee]

Well worth checking the Q+ side of an AS 5 days after the manipulation. If they are still in swarm mode and make a queen from a 3 day old larvae you will catch them - 6 or 7 days and they will have gorn.

 

[BeeMoustashe]

Sod's law. Oh well I know for next time! At least there's enough left to keep it all on tick-over until new queenie emerges

 

[Erichalfbee]

Happened to me too.
Have the swarm in a box though.
Will unite when appropriate.