Three Queens in swarm

[BBG]

One ended dead before swarm entered hive two days ago.

Two Queens seen and now hearing 'quarking'.

Should I find both Queens and split colony into two Nucs.

Leave them alone to sort out.

Has anybody split two Queen swarm.

Advice please.

 

[susbees]

Likely they'll have sorted it out by breakfast?

 

[Steve Dyer]

One ended dead before swarm entered hive two days ago.

Two Queens seen and now hearing 'quarking'.

Should I find both Queens and split colony into two Nucs.

Leave them alone to sort out.

Has anybody split two Queen swarm.

Advice please.

Two weeks back I took a swarm that had two queens (tho I didn't know) and put them in a hive. After about an hour there was one swarm in the hive and a large cast-sized lump of bees hanging from the baseboard. I found a queen in the lump and put them in a nearby nuc. Over time the bees in the nuc left - either to join the other swarm or they went back home. Finally queen was left with a few tens of bees and died. Maybe I should have put the nuc further away...

 

[Tom Bick]

A few weeks back now I watched as a reasonably large swarm moved into a bait hive I had at work. I inspected it 5 days later and the swarm was now considerably smaller with a laying queen?

The explanation given by a much more experienced beekeeper was two queens in the original swarm and one left with a good proportion of the bees.

 

[BBG]

A few weeks back now I watched as a reasonably large swarm moved into a bait hive I had at work. I inspected it 5 days later and the swarm was now considerably smaller with a laying queen?

The explanation given by a much more experienced beekeeper was two queens in the original swarm and one left with a good proportion of the bees.

About the same here - bees working like hell though!

 

[Mosquito]

If they have not swarmed yet they will.
I would remove one of the Queens.

 

[Tom Bick]

About the same here - bees working like hell though!

If only that was the case, they were defiantly smaller than when they had arrived.

The interesting thing was that this bait hive had interest from scout bees for 5 days and three of the days it looked like it had two lots of scout bees at the hive, one lot defending the entrance and the other lot trying to get in with plenty of pushing and shoving at the entrance.

So if it was two separate swarms that arrived at the same time or a swarm with two queens I don’t know but it was very interesting to watch all the same.