skydragon
House Bee
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2009
- Messages
- 108
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Pocklington, Yorks, UK
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 4
Have been abroad on hols for the last few weeks, but going home tomorrow. Just before I left for holiday I couldn't find the (Carnolian) queen but noticed 2 - 3 large superceedure cells. I re-looked for queen (marked), couldn't find her, so had no choice but to leave them too it.
I spoke to my neighbour via phone today, who 3 days ago heard a 'loud buzzing noise' and then saw 'thousands of bees flying and swirling in a mass about the size of a small bush' near the bottom of our garden (about 60ft away from the hives). She said the bees disappeared after a while 'towards the hives' - although she didn't actually see where they went in the end. (Behind our garden there is open farmland and woods, so i'm guessing they went in that direction).
... I guess that was my first swarm.
What should I expect when I get back and do the first inspection?
I'm guessing my best hope is that there is now a single laying queen in there and a reasonable amount of workers still left?
They had nearly filled two supers with honey, given reasonable weather, how long will it take the colony to grow back up in size?
Will they have taken much of the honey with them?
Sorry for all the questions, but this is my first experience of swarming and I'd like to understand what happens next and what effect this will have on the colony, both now and it's size and honey making capability over the next few months.
I spoke to my neighbour via phone today, who 3 days ago heard a 'loud buzzing noise' and then saw 'thousands of bees flying and swirling in a mass about the size of a small bush' near the bottom of our garden (about 60ft away from the hives). She said the bees disappeared after a while 'towards the hives' - although she didn't actually see where they went in the end. (Behind our garden there is open farmland and woods, so i'm guessing they went in that direction).
... I guess that was my first swarm.
What should I expect when I get back and do the first inspection?
I'm guessing my best hope is that there is now a single laying queen in there and a reasonable amount of workers still left?
They had nearly filled two supers with honey, given reasonable weather, how long will it take the colony to grow back up in size?
Will they have taken much of the honey with them?
Sorry for all the questions, but this is my first experience of swarming and I'd like to understand what happens next and what effect this will have on the colony, both now and it's size and honey making capability over the next few months.