Transfer Swarm from National Supers to Langstroth?

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ruffle

New Bee
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
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Location
Peterborough
Hive Type
WBC
Number of Hives
3
Advice please.

Caught a swarm on Saturday from one of my own hives (yes I know... but every time an inspection has been possible time-wise it's been raining or freezing cold :( ).

The only kit I had available was a National Super so that's what they ended up in (dummied down to five frames with Kingspan filling the outside voids).

I'd like to donate this swarm to a friend who's just starting out (done the four week PBKA intro course) but he's bought himself a Langstroth so I'm wondering just how I can transfer National Super frames into his hive.

There's an additional complication in that he's working away and won't be back home until Thursday (the swarm was caught on Saturday AM) so the ladies will have been working the fresh foundation for around five days.

Any suggestions? TIA.
 
Quick Tip

Hi

Just tip them all in as soon as he returns..a few days will make no difference to the colony


roy
 
Put apiece of ply on top of super, with a largish hole cut in middles.
Place l/s brood box on top with foundation and top feeder.
When they have drawn the foundation and queen has started tolayintop box, put on Q/E and confine her to top.
3 weeks later when brood has hatched in nat super remove it.

Hole as big as poss but take into account national,and l/s sizes.

Because national is bottom bee space it is helpful if you add a lath to underside of ply and also one to top side to take account of l/s top bee space. Not essential though.
 
KISS principle. Shake them in.

Assuming it is a prime swarm, which it may not be, the eggs so far laid can be put on the parent colony. If it is a cast, it will make little odds - they will just have to start again. Feed straight away and leave a Q/E under if a laying queen.

There may be a minor risk of absconding should there be a virgin queen, but that is not the end of the world as you can supply your next swarm, or a split, when the weather is hopefully better.

Seems like it may well be a cast - that small!

One or two other things to consider - like the distance you intend moving them, for instance.
 
Well - that's two votes for the 'chuck them in the Langstroth' technique :)
and two for the engineering method.

Re distance - it'll be about five miles away.

and size of the swarm here's a picture

swarm.jpg
 
Last edited:
looks like a prime swarm, so should have a mated queen with it.
your call?
 
third approach (also engineering)

knock up necessary eke (simpler for a thick walled poly LS hive) to allow the national frames to run warm way across the LS box. operate it as a 12 frame national while colony builds up.
Then when needed a 2nd LS box can be added with proper LS frames cold way.
 

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