Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: small swarm question  (Read 1819 times)

Offline rober

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 710
  • Gender: Male
small swarm question
« on: June 09, 2013, 11:27:40 am »
caught a swarm yesterday about the size of a softball. it's in a nuc for now. if i check it & there is no queen do i need to put it in a hive body & do a newspaper combo? OR if i just shake them out in the apiary will they find homes in the other hives there?

Moots

  • Guest
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2013, 11:31:59 am »
I'm thinking either of those should work...

Offline 10framer

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1701
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2013, 11:39:39 am »
i'd probably just do the shake out.

Offline rober

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 710
  • Gender: Male
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2013, 11:47:16 am »
if i shook them into a hive there'd probably be a battle eh? when i install a swarm into a hive i put an empty hive body on top of the hive to act as a funnel. after they've settled down i take the empty box off & add the inner cover & replace the outer cover. what if i put an empty hive body on top of an inner cover & added the bees that way?

Offline 10framer

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1701
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2013, 11:57:14 am »
if there's a flow on they can probably get in a hive without much of a fight.  don't shake them into the hive, shake them in front of it.

Offline rober

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 710
  • Gender: Male
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2013, 01:34:08 pm »
no sign of a queen so i shook them out into the yard. they really became attched to that nuc overnight. they do not want to leave it so i put it on top of the hive that could use a few more bees.

Offline Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20339
  • Gender: Female
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2013, 01:37:15 pm »
a swarm that size may well have been an after swarm with a virgin queen.  i would have given them a little time.  you can always combine later or shake out.  you have a long season, so a newly mated queen has plenty of time to catch up.

but...
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline rober

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 710
  • Gender: Male
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2013, 01:55:00 pm »
oh well.....when i opened the nuc the swarm looked smaller than when on the tree. i'd have to down grade them to baseball size. i looked pretty good & in that small of a wad of bees the queen is usually easier to spot, tho i still could have missed her. the hive that i put the nuc is on top of is queenless. if there was a queen maybe she'll find her way into that hive.
 just got a call so i'm off after another swarm.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 02:18:30 pm by rober »

Offline sc-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2985
Re: small swarm question
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2013, 04:43:02 pm »
If the hive you put it on top of is queenless, that makes all the difference in the world :-D Now wait to see if you had a queen or virgin queen.
John 3:16

 

anything