Unhappy bees...

[Floss]

Further to my recent post where I have attempted to start a new colony when I went to check this evening (24hrs later) there are about 20-30 dead/dying? bees around the entrance to the hive. Is this normal?

I have followed instruction but didn't expect them to be so traumatised! It is a lot cooler here near the boarders this evening. I wondered whether they are nursery bees as they don't appear to be "flyers". I guess there is nothing I can do anyway ????

Any advice/reassurance welcome! Many thanks.

Floss

 

[jezd]

Further to my recent post where I have attempted to start a new colony when I went to check this evening (24hrs later) there are about 20-30 dead/dying? bees around the entrance to the hive. Is this normal?

I have followed instruction but didn't expect them to be so traumatised! It is a lot cooler here near the boarders this evening. I wondered whether they are nursery bees as they don't appear to be "flyers". I guess there is nothing I can do anyway ????

Any advice/reassurance welcome! Many thanks.

Floss

The colder weather is impacting mine here too later in the evening, check them midday tomorrow and you should see them all perky - what steps did you follow? AS?

Jez

 

[Floss]

Thanks Jez - Basically, as advised, I moved a frame with queen cell and a couple a frames with brood etc into new hive ( the other hive seemed v full), shook some bees in but could'nt find queen so cautious.

There are more bee's lying on the ground this am, about 20 - I saw a wasp fly off with one...it has got cold this last couple of days and I wonder whether they are shocked ? I intend to put a feeder on also.

The other hive seems ok.

Floss

 

[jon]

If you shook in bees from another colony they probably started to fight which would explain the dead bees outside the colony. Bees will not die of cold at this time of year other than the odd one which gets caught in the rain, they just fly less on a cold day. Mixing bees is risky unless they are very young bees.
Unless you know 100% where the queen is, shaking in bees is a risk I would never take.

 

[Floss]

The bees were from the same colony I had taken the queen cell from. Is that what you meant?

 

[jon]

That's fine then. I misunderstood. I thought you had shaken them in from your other colony.

 

[Floss]

Thanks Jon but I have a bigger problem! Just talking to a chicken and heard a loud buzzing noise...deep joy....the big colony has just swarmed.....!

 

[Poly Hive]

LOL you couldn't make it up.

Have fun and good luck

PH

 

[jon]

Is that the colony you artificially swarmed?
What way did you do the AS. Was it queen plus flyers or flyers plus queen cell?
If you left 2 queen cells with the flyers that will be a cast swarm off and it will probably settle high with a virgin queen in it.

PS. Better stop asking questions until they are in the skep!

 

[Floss]

Waiting for a local BK to come round... It was the origional colony that swarmed jon and the AS was QC plus flyers....phew!