Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => RAPID BEEYARD GROWTH => Topic started by: Cheech on April 06, 2012, 06:36:38 pm

Title: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: Cheech on April 06, 2012, 06:36:38 pm
just moved my first successful swarm trap home and inspected today.  unfortunately i cant see evidence of a queen.  no brood of any kind.  they have made 5 combs thats taken up half the space in the nuk and are making honey and storing pollen, but no brood
any advice on what i should do from here?

Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: G3farms on April 06, 2012, 07:20:31 pm
Hopefully it was not an after swarm with a virgin queen and she was out on her mating flight.

A virgin queen or newly mated one can be on the runny side and hard to find, they still like to hide.

You could always slip in a frame of eggs from another hive if you have it, they will make a queen cell form it.
Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: AllenF on April 06, 2012, 07:26:32 pm
Also eggs on new white young comb are very very hard to see.   
Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: Cheech on April 06, 2012, 07:42:05 pm
You could always slip in a frame of eggs from another hive if you have it, they will make a queen cell form it.

G3, i'm new so this swarm is my first colony and thus i have no access to brood.  I do belong to our local association, so as a last resort I may be begging for some assistance along those lines.

Also eggs on new white young comb are very very hard to see.   

Allen, I called my mentor and he also made that suggestion.
The swarm trap was deployed two Fridays ago and last Friday was the first i checked the trap and found bees in it.
do you think its too early for me to worry about actually seeing brood?

Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: beyondthesidewalks on April 07, 2012, 09:23:48 am
A few more days and eggs, if present, will turn to worms.  They should be much easier to see then.  From your responses it seems there's nothing to do but sit back and wait on the bees.
Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: Cheech on April 07, 2012, 10:44:09 am
thanks sidewalk, looks like that's exactly what i have to do, will check them in a few days time. 

how long do you guys think i have to wait to do the cutout and put into a normal box?
check my flickr link to see some pics of the progress as far as comb is concerned

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheech88/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheech88/)
Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: beyondthesidewalks on April 07, 2012, 12:16:16 pm
Looks like a healthy swarm to me.  In the future, when you're further along in your beekeeping, it would be wise to put foundationless frames in your traps.  Avoids the step of having to do the cutout of your swarm trap.

I forgot to ask a question earlier.  Are you seeing pollen on the bees legs when they return to the hive?  That's a sure sign of brood in the hive.  Good luck and keep us posted on the progress of your new hive.  You're hooked now. :-D

BTW, very beautiful places and women in your flicker page.  You are a very lucky man.
Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: Cheech on April 07, 2012, 02:10:00 pm
yes, they are bringing in pollen, and yes i am hooked
been hooked about 6 months now, reading and watching every video on :bee:

Title: Re: Swarm trap inspection
Post by: BlevinsBees on April 07, 2012, 02:21:46 pm
The girls at the bottom of the page look very healthy too!