Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => NATURAL & ORGANIC BEEKEEPING METHODS => Topic started by: melliphile on May 17, 2010, 02:27:16 pm
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Greetings to all.
This weekend I hived a swarm in my first attempt to start a foundationless hive. I used one partially drawn frame just to give them somewhere to cluster. I put a hive top feeder with about a quart and a half of sugar water to encourage them to set up shop. I reduced the entrance to discourage absconding or robbing. Other than that , I used two mediums with brand new foundationless frames (save for the drawn frame aforementioned).
I just recieved a call from the property owner and it sounds like the bees are getting ready to leave. My question is this; should I have put more drawn comb in the hive to keep them there? Maybe a frame of brood from another hive? Did I do something wrong?
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sounds like you did right! Maybe the bee's are just trying to orientate to the new home? I think unless it was a really big swarm I would have only put out one box though till it was drawn. I have never used mediums for brood though?
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After a long day of work and then checking out a bee tree in the city this afternoon, I didn't have the wherewithal to make it out to the beeyard. I'll check tomorrow a.m. and see if they are still there.
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You can never tell with a swarm. Certainly one drawn comb has an attraction to them as does a frame of brood...
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Despite the rain and chill and I just had to check them today, and it appears fine. Nobody flying from any of the hives in the yard, and a single guard bee checked me out at the entrance of the aforementioned swarm. I took off the lid to see them at the window of the hive top feeder, so it appears that they have taken up residence.
Thank you for your input.