Is a nuc box too small for a large swarm?

[gardenbees]

I caught my first swarm today and housed it in a five frame nuc. It was a huge swarm and I had planned one keeping it in the nuc for a while but now think that I probably should put it in a deep hive body due to the number of bees. I made a split that I was hoping would make a queen for me but now I am thinking that I should just combine the new swarm with the young queenless split. I have a nuc intro board and was going to use that. Sound ok? Theresa.

[George Fergusson]

I hived a swarm in a 5 frame nuc last summer and they barely fit. They all went in, but the box was FULL. I put them in a single deep the same day.

[Finman]

When you put swarm into normal box, you will se how many frames they are able to use.

2 kg = 4 lbs swarm needs one langstroth box.
4 kg swarm is able to use 2 langstroth box.

5 kg swarm is huge.

If it is first swarm it has egg laying queen.
When you combine swarm to nuc it is OK.

[Jim Williamson]

Theresa, one thought would be to obtain another queen and split that mega swarm into two nucs. I doubt you would get much surplus honey this year anyway, so you could go for the increase. Just a thought. Congratulations on your first swarm capture. How did you manage it?

[gardenbees]

Well, they landed about a hundred feet away on my wheelbarrow handles. I put the nuc box underneath them and brushed them in. Didn't get them all though and was hoping I got the queen so the rest would follow. I did and they did so now they are in the nuc, hopefully happy until I can find a full size hive for them. I have bees coming out my ears right now and really don't want to split them. I don't have the hive bodies for that anyway. I started with two hives and am now up to four and I think the same hive that threw this huge swarm has thrown an afterswarm as well. Not sure whether to try to save that or not. And the worse part is I'm worried I won't get any honey from any of them this year. There sure it a lot to learn. Theresa.

[fhafer]

Theresa,
How far are you from Norfolk, VA? I can get you some assembled and painted hive bodies in a day. I know an old bee keeper that is liquating his new-old-stock. It's never had bees in it. He has hundreds of hive bodies and supers.

[gardenbees]

I'm about six hours from Norfolk probably too far to make it worth it right now. I would like to come and take a look this summer if you think he'll have them that long. What's he selling them for? Theresa.

[Michael Bush]

Id wait until they have the nuc filled up, myself.

[gardenbees]

MB: I had decided to do that already. I figure it will take them a while to fill up the frames and then I can steal some of the brood to bulk up the split I just made. Another question. I think this same hive threw a small softball sized afterswarm. It happened mabe two hours after the initial watermelon sized swarm. Is it possible for an afterswarm to emmerge so quickly after the main one? I captured them in a shoebox and then shook them into the split I made last week. That split had a queen cell so probably has a virgin queen by now. I guess the two girls can duke it out to find out whose boss. This is all an experiment for me and I like to try things just to find out what will happen. Theresa.

[Michael Bush]

>I think this same hive threw a small softball sized afterswarm. It happened mabe two hours after the initial watermelon sized swarm. Is it possible for an afterswarm to emmerge so quickly after the main one?

Sure. Swarming is organized chaos. The bees seem to lose their minds for a little while.

>I captured them in a shoebox and then shook them into the split I made last week. That split had a queen cell so probably has a virgin queen by now. I guess the two girls can duke it out to find out whose boss.

If the virgin has been well accepted the bees may take care of it. If not the queens will work it out.

[Bill Ruble]

I am getting 3 pound packages this year and wonder if 5 frame medium nuc is ok. the nuc is 6 5/8 deep.

also wouldlike to use the medium nuc as a baited sworm trap if it is big enough. What do you think?

[FordGuy]

landed on your wheelbarrow handles?

tell me, had you been cooking with bok choy?

seriously, had you used any flavoring, cut any fruits that day thenhandled the wheelbarrow?

[gardenbees]

Ford, I'd like to tell you that I'd been working in my lemongrass patch and then parked the wheelbarrow near by but alas I have no lemon grass. I do a lot of asian cooking though. smile.gif Can't remember what I handled previous to the swarm but it had been a couple of days since I had used it and probably wore gloves. Theresa.