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Author Topic: Swarm in Apple tree  (Read 1743 times)

Offline dpence

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Swarm in Apple tree
« on: May 03, 2009, 12:30:10 am »
One of my hives cast a swarm today.  I managed to get it after climbing the apple tree. No pictures :(  Odd thing, for some reason some of the swarm has clustered (about the size of a softball) inside a cardboard box that I used to move them with.  I watched the marked queen go into the hive.  But a good deal of the swarm is still in this box.  Is it possible for a swarm to have two queens?  Tomorrow I will investigate further.  I prepared a smaller nuc this evening in the event I have another queen.  Figured they would be all right in the cardboard box till morning.  Hope it doesn't rain.

David   
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Offline JP

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Re: Swarm in Apple tree
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2009, 12:41:30 am »
Yes it is possible and common enough to have more than one queen and even multiples on occasion in a swarm.


...JP
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Offline doak

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Re: Swarm in Apple tree
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2009, 12:47:36 am »
Put them in a nuc and give a frame of mostly capped brood and if you have it a frame of eggs/brood.
couple frames of honey and pollen.feed-em.

The big swarm I got couple weeks ago had a virgin queen with it. she flew off before I could retrieve her, besides, they were balling her.  doak :)
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Offline papabear

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Re: Swarm in Apple tree
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2009, 11:51:35 am »
how do u know if the queen is a virgin or laying?
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Offline EasternShore

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Re: Swarm in Apple tree
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2009, 08:55:48 pm »
Please allow me some humor...

The Virgin queen won't have seemed panty hose on..
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Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Swarm in Apple tree
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2009, 10:40:43 pm »
Shoot depence.
I get that to happen to me....sometimes theres a clump of bees staying in whatever I put them in when catching them....I always just bang the box harder over the hive box to knock the bees down into it, put the lid back on, and walk away!
I never thot about more than one queen!

your friend,
john
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