Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: Boom Buzz on July 02, 2011, 01:48:46 pm

Title: Tiny Swarm
Post by: Boom Buzz on July 02, 2011, 01:48:46 pm

Got a call to go catch a swarm yesterday.  Turned out to be a micro swarm.  Maybe 1000 bees if you include the ones flying, but more like a few hundred.

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What do people usually do with a swarm this small?  I have it in a deep with some comb.  I do not have a NUC box to put it into.
I am planning to feed feed feed, but with is being so small, would it be better to just to combine with another hive?  It would be nice at the very least to keep it separate and going to have an extra queen on hand in case any of the others go queenless in the next few months.  I could transfer to a medium as well if that would be better for now.

Thanks for any suggestions!

John

Title: Re: Tiny Swarm
Post by: greenbtree on July 02, 2011, 02:29:12 pm

Could you drop a piece of plywood in to turn it into a nuc?  Smaller is best - I don't know if you would want to disturb them by moving them into a medium.  Hopefully a more experienced beek will chime in.

JC

Title: Re: Tiny Swarm
Post by: schawee on July 02, 2011, 05:59:05 pm

Put them in a medium And Give them 3 frames and block the rest off  then as they grow you add another frame.       Schawee

Title: Re: Tiny Swarm
Post by: Boom Buzz on July 03, 2011, 01:42:00 am

Thanks Schawee and greenbtree.  I went ahead transferred them to the medium  Fortunately I had placed two medium frames with foundation and comb into the deep.  It was the only comb I had handy.  The bees were on these two frames and they transferred over easily.  So far so good and even though it is a small colony, they seem content so far. 

John

Title: Re: Tiny Swarm
Post by: Mike Tuggle on July 03, 2011, 08:05:20 pm

I had a similar situation (at least the end result) a dozen years ago... I had brought my swarm trap box (about the size of a nuc) home and had it sitting on my picnic table.  A few weeks later while cutting the grass, I realized the box was the new home for a micro-colony of bees.  With feeding and careful management, they actually built up enough to survive the next NY winter and several more.   :)