Would a queenless swarm move into an active hive?

[Ruth85]

We caught a swarm last thursday and hived it around 8pm into a 14x12 hive. This was the first time we had done this and not everything went according to plan but in the end we were happy that they were all in the hive.

We checked the hive Friday morning and all seemed ok with lots of workers flying in and out.

Yesterday we went to inspect our other 14x12 hive which is positioned about 20 feet from the swarm hive. We first checked the swarm hive and they had all gone, it was completely empty. When we inspected our other hive we were very surprised by the amount of bees that were in it.

Does anyone think that if we somehow lost the queen from the swarm the other bees might move into the active hive?

 

[Chris Luck]

I really can't see that as a possibility.

Could the swarm have come from your existing colony? If so there is an outside chance that they returned, although rather unlikely after a day or two..

...otherwise they just had somewhere else in mind. I always shut my swarms in now for two or three full days with some Queen excluder to prevent absconding.

Chris

 

[Midland Beek]

More probably, the swarm just absconded.

For the swarm to have entered one of your hives, the expectation would be for that colony to be queenless, as in hopelessly queenless.

 

[Ruth85]

Thanks for replies, no swarm was caught 20 miles away from our apairy and our hive has a good strong queen seen at every inspection so far.
Will remember to put a queen excluder under the brood box next time!

 

[buzz lightyear]

i try to give them a frame of unsealed brood, this keeps them put.

 

[jezd]

We caught a swarm last thursday and hived it around 8pm into a 14x12 hive. This was the first time we had done this and not everything went according to plan but in the end we were happy that they were all in the hive.

We checked the hive Friday morning and all seemed ok with lots of workers flying in and out.

Yesterday we went to inspect our other 14x12 hive which is positioned about 20 feet from the swarm hive. We first checked the swarm hive and they had all gone, it was completely empty. When we inspected our other hive we were very surprised by the amount of bees that were in it.

Does anyone think that if we somehow lost the queen from the swarm the other bees might move into the active hive?

100% yes, it happened to me just the other day - I had one colony in a hive close by an empty hive. Collected a new swarm and placed it in the empty box, they then all flew out and lost the queen in the process and within an hour descended back into the other hive - never seen before and now its huge and the queen is fine.

I would say that is correct and can happen.

JD

 

[Hivemaker.]

Would a queenless swarm move into an active hive?

Yes it often happens.

 

[Ruth85]

Thank you for your replies, i think this has happened because our hive is now massive and i cannot get over how many bees are in there now! Thanks again

 

[Midland Beek]

Would a queenless swarm move into an active hive?

Yes it often happens.

But how often do you get a queenless swarm? The received wisdom with clipping, is that if queen can't fly the swarm returns to their original hive.

What you might get more of when a swarm enters a queenright colony, is that the queen in the swarm gets killed at the entrance.

 

[Hivemaker.]

What you might get more of when a swarm enters a queenright colony, is that the queen in the swarm gets killed at the entrance.

But not always,had two big swarms merge last year,both had clipped queens,the whole lot returned to one hive...and both the queens were on the same comb quite happy in said hive.