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Author Topic: a weak colony and a swarm  (Read 17337 times)

Offline filmmlif

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a weak colony and a swarm
« on: June 10, 2004, 01:26:47 am »
i have a weak colony (with a new queen) and was thinking if i find a swarm i might add it to the weak colony to increase their numbers. what should i be aware of? i know the swarm will have a queen so should i eliminate her? advice plz.

Offline Finman

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2004, 02:20:20 am »
Quote from: filmmlif
i have a weak colony (with a new queen) and was thinking if i find a swarm i might add it to the weak colony to increase their numbers. what should i be aware of? i know the swarm will have a queen so should i eliminate her? advice plz.



When you get swarm, put its super very near of your weak colony. Put new wax plate frames  inside and let them build cells. Give it 20% sugar liquid some litres. When swarm is normal, kill the queen and after 24  hours put colonies together. For sure that they not kill new queen, you can put in under a  little wire netting  box with 10 bees. If no one is hanging in the net after few hour, you can let queen free.

Or, you can put the swarm to the top of weak colony and net  between them and slide of newspaper. When combs are built, just take swarm queen away, and after few hour put colonies together.

2 supers full of bees is good start to nest. It is 4 kg bee swarm. That collect honey.

When I put colonies together, I just put them. But if queen is valuable, it is worth protect it for accident.  Wax building is important for swarm, I think.

Swarm loves it's queen. I you try to change it very first, swarm will be very confused.  They loose they mind. They stop working.

Offline BigRog

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a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2004, 10:11:22 am »
I have seen you mention a 20% sugar solution twice now. I have no bees yet but all over this site I have only seen 50% recomended. Is this just one preforance over nother or do you use different solutions at different times?
"Lurch my good man,…what did you mean when you said just now that 'You've got better things to do than run my petty little errands'…….?"

Offline Finman

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a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2004, 10:23:44 am »
Quote from: BigRog
I have seen you mention a 20% sugar solution twice now. I have no bees yet but all over this site I have only seen 50% recomended. Is this just one preforance over nother or do you use different solutions at different times?


That 50%-60% is for winter food. 20% is aim to force build the cells, and not to store it. If you put strong sugar to nest at summer, bees cover it with vax and you will get unproper honey.

Offline beemaster

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a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2004, 02:40:14 pm »
I was told that a 5 pound bag of sugar to 1 gallon of water is an 8:5 ratio. I'm not sure on the math part, sounds ok (to me it's mixing apples and orange adding wet and dry ingredients) but that is the mixture I use for wax production.

It's fairly easy, no brainer kind of math - I just boil a gallon of water, turn it down very low and add in the 5 pound bag of sugar and stir and let it go until it is completely desolved - cool and serve. I keep this tightly sealed in a jug (amazingly it all fits back into the same gallon jug - well almost) and I keep it refridgerated until needed.

Lots of combinations I have heard. This works for me and I get good wax from it, but experiment - that is what makes beekeeping fun.
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Offline Lupus

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a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2004, 12:02:23 pm »
I picked up 5 gallons of sucrose from a bee supplier who told me it worked better for bees than using a sugar solution. Having used 3+ gallons already I can report that the bees seem to like it a great deal. I believe the sucrose is less expensive too.

I will need more syrup soon and I am thinking about getting more sucrose. I am wondering what others have experienced with sucrose vs sugar solution?

I am not sure what the % mix is but it has worked very well with my Quail Waterers to get swarms and splits going. I can't seem to keep it in the hives it is gone in a day or two.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2023, 09:30:49 am »
This was posted several years ago and I feel sure other (newer) beekeepers might find this interesting as well.

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Terri Yaki

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2023, 10:00:02 am »
This was posted several years ago and I feel sure other (newer) beekeepers might find this interesting as well.

Phillip
I'm reading it all and taking it in to use on my new endeavor. My neighbor was up this week and his eyes lit up when he saw my new hives stacked in the corner ready for action. He's looking forward to helping as much as I am in getting started.

But...where I come from, we'd call that 'a couple decades', not 'several years'. :cool:

salvo

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2023, 12:00:14 pm »
Hi Ben,

Was that Finman  the beloved Finski?

Sal

Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2023, 12:21:44 pm »
Im not sure Sal. He was known as Fiinski and another similar name. It could have been him. Jim, Robo, Kathyp, or Michael Bush might know as they were here then..

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Bob Wilson

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2023, 06:24:10 pm »
You threw me for a loop there, Ben.
I was half way through the comments, and about to comment on the wisdom of new queens and swarms in Texas in late October...until I realized it was a June 2004 re-post.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2023, 07:11:29 pm »
Thanks Bo b, the archives are LOADED with good stuff!!
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2023, 07:12:26 pm »
Even though this topic is old your comment is more than welcome !!  Please do! In bees all things are  relevant regardless of time in most cases. Information shared (as Reagan says ?Rocks? lol)

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2023, 10:17:46 pm »
I believe that Finman is Finsky and also Finski. He was banned several times. He had vast experience as a beekeeper and provided great advice but he couldn?t help insulting and attacking other members.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2023, 01:37:47 am »
Thanks Jim. He was before my time here. I have read some of his stuff in the archives. To bad he would not follow the Bylaws.

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: a weak colony and a swarm
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2023, 12:23:56 pm »
I believe that Finman is Finsky and also Finski. He was banned several times. He had vast experience as a beekeeper and provided great advice but he couldn?t help insulting and attacking other members.
Jim Altmiller

I enjoy going back into the archives, as much knowledge is to be found and gained from Beemasters' Treasure Trove. I just ran across the following and thought of your post Jim, and Finsky.   :grin:

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=27164.msg213669#msg213669
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 

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