help swarm

[olky]

need some help. i've got a swarm that just lit in a tree outside in my front yard. all i have is a shallow super and new foundation i was gonna add to another hive. can i put this on a bottom board with top  and catch this swarm? will they stay in a shallow box? do i need to add any sugar syrup? i need some help setting this up. thanx

[Kathyp]

yes, or you can put them in a cardboard box until you have something bigger.  if they are very crowded in a shallow, they may move on.  if it's a big swarm, use a large cardboard box and then go get yourself some extra equipment.

[olky]

i shook them into the box. the rest walked in. about a fourth clustered back up in the tree. i've got some medium boxes built but no frames made up yet. what would you suggest now? add a medium? give it a few day's and see if they stay? i'm not sure what my next move is. will the cluster fly down to the hive with the rest or should i shake them also? thanx for the help. i'm pretty excited right now.

[Kathyp]

try to get them out of the tree.  chances are, the queen is still on the tree.  if you don't get her, they will all end up back there.  if you can cut the branch and then shake them off over the hive, or lay it on the hive, you'll have a better chance of not losing her.

don't put them in a super without frames.   they will make a mess.  swarms build a lot of comb, fast.  they are in the shallow?  feed them and see what happens.  they will probably stay around  :-)

[olky]

thanks for the help Kathyp. they are in the shallow box. i had about all the bees off the branch. most went into the box. many flew around and started clustering back in the tree. i laid a sheet down under my equipment so i could try to see the queen go in. i never did see her. but i am not real good at finding an unmarked queen. i will give it a little while and then cut the branch again and do another shake. any more advice? i can use all i can get.....lol
thanks for replying so quick Kathyp, i'm really kinda lost.

[doak]

You did fine. Just make sure and get another box on as soon as you can if it is a swarm bigger than a basket ball, they will need the space, want hurt to feed.
doak

[Kathyp]

:-)  yup, you are doing fine.  i just happen to be hanging out here with this thing spitting out email notices.

just watch.  if it looks like they are headed back to the tree you'll know the queen is probably up there.  if you shake the bees off the tree and they head for the box, you probably have her in there.  if you have a little lemongrass oil you can mix a drop in some sugar water and spray the top of the frames lightly.  sometimes that helps entice the stragglers into the box.

[olky]

went back out to check all the bees clustered up in the tree. made another cut. they fell on the sheet in front of the hive. started walking in by the hundreds it looked like. some trying cluster back on the tree.
i do have 1 deep hive body with the frames made. should i put foundation in real quick and try to add that. it is not as big as a basketball. but much bigger than a softball. i had this super ready to add to another hive, so it has 9 frames of new foundation in it. it will be dark in a couple of hours. should i try to get the deep foundation in and add real quick? just hate to lose my first swarm. thanx for all the support.

[doak]

Put it on. Some time a small swarm will not take one if they decide it isn't big enough.
doak

[JP]

Good luck with the swarm. Sometimes virgin queens are quite energetic and will fly back up to the branch. When this happens I will catch her and cage her. If this is what is happening and you don't have anything to cage her or catch her with, then wait until right before dark and shake them in then.

The shallow should be fine for a swarm of that size.


...JP

[olky]

thanks for all the help. i added a medium i found and made some frames up real quick and added wired foundation. they seem to all be in the hive now. how long should i leave the hive where it is before i take it back to the bee yard? what is the best way to tie a hive up to move it?
thanks again. us new guy's would be lost without this site.

[Kathyp]

if it were my hive, i'd move it after dark.  if you have some tie straps, they will help.  duct tape will help.  you'll just have to be careful not to let the parts slip. 

later, invest in some hive staples, or the bigger electrical staples.  you can hammer the parts of the hive together and move it.  i usually put an entrance reducer on and duct tape it in place for the move.  if you are using a screened bottom board, they get plenty of air.  you are not going far? so they should be fine taped up for a few minutes even with a solid bottom.

[JP]

thanks for all the help. i added a medium i found and made some frames up real quick and added wired foundation. they seem to all be in the hive now. how long should i leave the hive where it is before i take it back to the bee yard? what is the best way to tie a hive up to move it?
thanks again. us new guy's would be lost without this site.

Move it either after hrs in the dark or early morning before light. When you get it to the new spot use an entrance reducer and add some grass or a branch in front of the opening, but allow them to get out.

This is to allow them to orient to the hive and may make them think twice about swarming out on ya.


...JP

[olky]

thanks everybody especially kathyp, for helping catch my first swarm. waited till dark and moved them behind the house in the pasture. i guess this is where i will start my next yard.......lol.  they have a top feeder and a reducer in place with grass shoved in it. hopefully they will feed and settle in. i never did see the queen but surely she is in there. there were no more bees in the tree. how long should i give them before i get back in the hive for and inspect?
thanx everybody once again.

[KONASDAD]

you can also shake the swarm into a hive w/ a queen excluder on the bottom. I do that to stop absconding and remove the excluder after two days, just in case she not mated. I also like it when it rains after i hive them. Prevent leaving and by morning they usually stay.

Lots of fun, isn't it!