When to hive the captured swarm

[Etton]

Caught a swarm at 12 today in cardboard box. When's the best time to hive them, plan to try the walk in method on inclined white sheet?

 

[Vortex]

Caught a swarm at 12 today in cardboard box. When's the best time to hive them, plan to try the walk in method on inclined white sheet?

You can pretty much put them in a hive immediately..
Put a QX under the BB.. open roof.. remove crown board .. remove centre 3 frames .. pour bees from box into hive.. carefully replace frames .. reassemble hive...

simplez...

 

[REDWOOD]

I would have left the box there for a few hours at least before moving them and then hived them straight away

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do it this evening - don't bother with walking them in - unless you're going to invite the friends and family around to see an alternative to the X factor - it's just unnecessary showmanship.
Remove the crown board from the hive, take out middle four frames, upend the box and shake all the bees in - gently replace the frames (don't push them in, just rest them on top of the bees, the bees will move around them and the frames will settle in place)
replace crowen board and roof and rest the box against the hive entrance for the stragglers to join the colony, job done.
If you feel the need, put a queen excluder under the brood box for a few days to stop absconding - but no more than a few days as there may be a virgin in the swarm ready to go and see the boys.

 

[Etton]

Thanks for suggestions. Left them a few hours then did the 'walk in ' method. So good so far, it worked haven't put QX down as have none spare. Would you close the hive up till say tomorrow?

 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks for suggestions. Left them a few hours then did the 'walk in ' method. So good so far, it worked haven't put QX down as have none spare. Would you close the hive up till say tomorrow?

I personally wouldn't as they will have limited food stored within them, but then again with no QE they could abscond, if a large Prime swarm then its far less likely as she will be laying again within a couple of days.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cutting up an old plastic queen excluder so that you have a few entrance block size bits is a useful thing to do

 

[Etton]

A possible advantage of the bees 'walking in' method was that I had to cut the swarm out of a hawthorn bush and there were spiky hawthorn twigs with bees attached in the cardboard box, which I easily picked up from the white cloth rather than being chucked in the bb. I was worried the bees would fly off once tipped on to the inclined white cloth...but they just marched into the box with all the foundation in place. Hope they stay!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I collected a swarm late on Saturday and poured them into a nuc box on site. I then transferred them to a 14x12 brood box with some foundation and some drawn comb on Sunday because they pretty much covered 5 frames in the nuc. As the weather looked poor - it has not really stopped raining here since - I fed them 1.1 sugar solution, they've taken 4.5 litres so far. The weather does not look like it will improve until Thursday when I hope I might be able to have a look and see whether there are eggs (not sure if this is too soon - it was a big swarm so you'd think there'd be a laying queen in there - any thoughts?).

If the weather up there is even mildly iffy, I'd suggest you give them some feed.

CVB

 

[3bees]

Thanks for suggestions. Left them a few hours then did the 'walk in ' method. So good so far, it worked haven't put QX down as have none spare. Would you close the hive up till say tomorrow?

Just pin (I use a couple of drawing pins) a piece of QE across the entrance - much easier to remove in a couple of days.

 

[Etton]

My own swarm and will feed in the morning and have placed a strip of plastic QE across the hive entrance. Good advice

 

[tudorcd]

It is recommended not to feed a swarm because there may be AFB spores in the honey brought along. The adult bees use the honey for drawing frames and they are not affected by the spores. If they are fed, the travelling honey is stored.
We had a case of AFB in a hived swarm 3 years ago, and the only clue was that the swarm was fed from the beginning.
So with bad weather, waiting 4-5 days before feeding may be wise. The collecting energy of swarms is impressive.

 

[Etton]

It is recommended not to feed a swarm because there may be AFB spores in the honey brought along. The adult bees use the honey for drawing frames and they are not affected by the spores. If they are fed, the travelling honey is stored.
We had a case of AFB in a hived swarm 3 years ago, and the only clue was that the swarm was fed from the beginning.
So with bad weather, waiting 4-5 days before feeding may be wise. The collecting energy of swarms is impressive.

Yes, I have heard this before and I would but as the swarm if from my own aviary thought it would be safe to feed.

 

[tudorcd]

Thanks, I did not know that it was from your hives.
Here I pass on about 30 swarms each year to our team of "Swarmers", and most are "foreign" as bee keepers don't call them in, of course, just handle them from their own hives.

 

[Hachi]

Do it this evening - don't bother with walking them in - unless you're going to invite the friends and family around to see an alternative to the X factor - it's just unnecessary showmanship.
Remove the crown board from the hive, take out middle four frames, upend the box and shake all the bees in - gently replace the frames (don't push them in, just rest them on top of the bees, the bees will move around them and the frames will settle in place)
replace crowen board and roof and rest the box against the hive entrance for the stragglers to join the colony, job done.
If you feel the need, put a queen excluder under the brood box for a few days to stop absconding - but no more than a few days as there may be a virgin in the swarm ready to go and see the boys.

The QE under the BB is not necessary if they want to stay they will simples.

 

[masterBK]

Yes, I have heard this before and I would but as the swarm if from my own aviary thought it would be safe to feed.

So you keep birds and bees !

 

[oliver90owner]

It has clearly not crossed the mind of the OP that 'walking them into a hive' is best done in the evening - because they are not likely to abscond before the next day at the earliest! Just a little common sense application of simple logic!