Three weeks into beekeeping and trying to deal with a swarm

[Nakedapiarist]

Hi
I'm new to all this and doing my best to keep up with the bee. I installed an overwintered nuc of dark bees three weeks ago. I check them weekly and found queen cells last Sunday. I couldn't see the marked queen so removed all but two cells and sought advice. At this point the cells were open. Got home Monday afternoon to act on the advice about 3 hours too late. Recovered the swarm with difficulty from the top of a neighbours tree and put it in a nuc boix with a swarm guard over the entrance.

I don't want a third colony so what are my options to reunite? The old queen is only one year old and I like her, the virgin queen presumably won't emerge for a few more days. I don't have a spare brood chamber but could stack up a couple of supers. I'd like to get this sorted this weekend, if not sooner.

Cheers

 

[dexter's shed]

are you sure the swarm was from your bees

 

[dn170221]

If you don't want the third colony you could give them away.
"I installed an overwintered nuc of dark bees three weeks ago." were you feeding them? Seems like a quick swarm.

 

[Nakedapiarist]

Yes they were being fed as I had no drawn comb to give them. The swarm was definitely from my bees - the neighbour saw them leave and land, plus I recognise the queen.

 

[user 6228]

next

 

[user 6228]

Put them in a full sized box even if its only a cardboard box until there is brood. Less chance of them moving on. Every swarm wants 40Litres +/-15 regardless of size.

The problem/beauty with bees is that they are like the tide, they wait for no-one.
See swarm cells you need to act NOW! no time even for a cup of tea.

 

[For want of a better word]

I feel for you... could you not put the swarm in the WBC?

What will you do when the buckfasts inevitably swarm?

More kit.. and more kit!

I know of no other hobby that can completely dominate your time and life... and money... other than a high maintenance lady!

Yeghes da

 

[beeno]

Hi,
I would not recommend a cardboard box. It will get wet. I found the plastic box that the council supplied for newspapers was good. Drilled a hole in one end, but you have to improvise the roof with some waterproof and bee proof cover as it does not fit after you put the frames across. They made 7 frames of brood before they graduated to have a hive bought for them. You can always unite when the new queen is laying and choose which one to keep. Also, the old queen is a good to have as reserve in the short term in case the new one fails to mate.

 

[snelgrove]

Y leave two cells when you found queen cells leave none. Hive swarm up in supers if you have no other equipment. You can unite later. Leave one queen cell in swarmed stock to requeen colony, shake combs to be sure but first find cell you want and don't shake that frame

 

[B+.]

Hi
I'm new to all this and doing my best to keep up with the bee. I installed an overwintered nuc of dark bees three weeks ago. I check them weekly and found queen cells last Sunday. I couldn't see the marked queen so removed all but two cells and sought advice. At this point the cells were open. Got home Monday afternoon to act on the advice about 3 hours too late. Recovered the swarm with difficulty from the top of a neighbours tree and put it in a nuc boix with a swarm guard over the entrance.

Am I missing something with the dates?
Sunday 10th = Open Cells
Monday 11th = swarm
something doesn't add up right...are you sure you didn't miss a sealed cell somewhere?
http://www.glenn-apiaries.com/queenrear.html
Cells are sealed on day 8 and emerge on day 16. It is another 6 days (day 22) before the queen is sexually mature

edit: ohhhhh...the original queen swarmed. (duh!)

 

[B+.]

Yes they were being fed as I had no drawn comb to give them. The swarm was definitely from my bees - the neighbour saw them leave and land, plus I recognise the queen.

You probably filled all the available comb with syrup so the queen had nowhere to lay. Its very difficult when you don't have a stock of drawn comb. You're very limited in what you can do.

 

[REDWOOD]

Bees make preparations for swarming two weeks before you see queen cells, so probably they were in swarm mode before you had them.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yes they were being fed as I had no drawn comb to give them. The swarm was definitely from my bees - the neighbour saw them leave and land, plus I recognise the queen.

"limited" feeding to stimulate comb drawing is ok but more than a couple of pints of thin syrup should not be given. Perhaps you went overboard and created the problem?
At least you captured the swarm and gained some hands on experience from the events. Now it's time to look at the original box to see if it's choked with syrup. (or even nectar if your bees had found good forage)

 

[MartinL]

Chalk it up to experience.
How were the neighbours with the swarm, did you make it onto the radio yesterday??

I know many people who would be grateful of the bees you have but probably best to home them yourself. You don't have to pay top price for your hives there are plenty of smaller manufacturers some local ones too!

 

[itma]

Yes they were being fed as I had no drawn comb to give them. ...

Such feeding should have been 50/50 sugar/water by weight. That's what they will consume (fuelling wax making) most easily. Stronger stuff they want to store.

Good news is that swarms are comb-drawing machines.
Prevent the feeder from running dry, keep giving them work to do, and they will keep on drawing comb ...
However, once their "flow" stops, or they are happy with what they have done, they will drop out of wax-making mode, and more feeding risks them again just storing it!
So, feed and shuffle the frames frequently (every couple of days) so that they do have "work to do". Stop the feeding and the games when they stop wax-making and start storing syrup.
Then when you do reunite, you will have a full box of drawn brood frames ...

Much of beekeeping is figuring out how to turn to your advantage whatever it is that the little dears are dead set on doing. More that than bullying them to do things your way ...

 

[Nakedapiarist]

Clarification - the cells were open on Sunday but sealed when I checked on the Monday afternoon - I'd actually come home early to either do an artificial swarm or remove the queen cells.

Feeding was 50:50 syrup, would they bother to evaporate and store that or would it only ever be used as immediate food?

The neighbours were fine - highly amused in fact and most helpful in providing ladders and tools. If the blasted things hadn't been right at the top of a tree collecting would have gone smoothly. It's amazing how quickly people scatter when a branch snaps and the sky turns black with bees. Thankfully the bees has the good nature to settle on a lower branch.

thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[dpearce4]

I had 2 hives swarm last weekend due to me not being able to inspect due to poor weather conditions for the 2 weeks before. they were massive hives and I knew there was a risk they would be getting ready so went as soon as I could luckily they were both hanging in the same tree in the apiary so I was able to box them up and put them in hives that day. but it was my own fault they went.

I now have 27 hives only 3 away from the 30 I wanted at the end of the season but not able to do what I wanted with those to hives as they did what they wanted.

you live and learn every year.