Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: BeeMaster2 on July 11, 2012, 02:49:39 pm
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When is the best time to move a swarm that I caught in my swarm trap? 2 weeks ago, we, Jim and I caught a swarm in a trap and did not move it right away. We wanted to give them a chance to settle in and build comb and get the brood started. We decided to just lower them down a bit every couple of days and put the hive right below where the trap was.
I am out of town and just received a report and a picture of another trap in my back yard that is still moving in to the trap.
When is the best time to open them up and check them to see if they are ready to move into a full hive and move them into the apiary.
I ask this because I moved 2 swarm trapped hives from the farm to town after leaving them in the traps for about 3 weeks. When I inspected them 1 was ready to move into a full deep hive and did so but the other one was not.
2 weeks later they absconded the second trap. I suspect that is where the hive in the trap in my neighbors swarm trap came from.
I want to move this latest swarm to the apiary, 20' away or I can move it down the street to another apiary that I am setting up. Just trying to keep from losing this swarm.
If I was at home I would put it in a hive with a QE on the bottom. It looks real strong in the picture, 20 minutes after they found it it has bees covering the front of a 6 frame nuc. I will not be able to get to it until the weekend, probably Sunday.
Looking for inputs.
Jim
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If the trap had drawn comb, I would move it after 4 to 5 days. If foundation only, I would wait 1 week.
If drawing wild comb from the beginning, I would move them immediately and add a frame of brood, if available.
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Either way, I look for eggs. Once there are eggs I can move whenever. If I'm in a hurry, I add an open frame of brood and move them as I would a captured swarm.
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move at nite, as soon as you can, the new comb too soft to handle easily