Feeding a small swarm

[marjery]

I'm new at this forum. I am trying to keep some bees alive until I get a box for them. They survived our attempt to get them out of our travel trailer's battery compartment by spraying the hive with soapy water. They are clustered on the bottom of a cardboard box which is over a 5 gal bucket. I have been feeding them sugar water, about 3 cups liquid today. How much sugar water is enough? I don't know anything about telling one bee from another. Any help will be appreciated.

[Michael Bush]

Try to set up a feeder where they can take what they want. A mason jar (or for that matter any jar) with some small holes poked in the lid will do. If there are nectar sources blooming you may not need to feed them, but if you don't know it's probably a good idea. Another feeder is to half fill a gallon zip lock bag with syrup and make a couple of inch long incisions in it and put that in the bottom.

[Dick Allen]

> fill a gallon zip lock bag with syrup and make a couple of inch long incisions in it and put that in the bottom.

Actually, I think you should fill a gallon zip lock bag with syrup, put that in the bottom, and make a couple of inch long incisions in it--in that order. ;)

[ July 10, 2006, 11:21 PM: Message edited by: Dick Allen ]

[marjery]

Thanks for the suggestions for feeding sugar water. I'm sad to say the bees have swarmed again and are clustered on a bush in my back yard. I don't have any way to "catch" them and every beekeeper I've called isn't interested in them. It's very sad to have to let them "go". Maybe I can learn more about keeping bees and start new later on. Thanks again.

[drobbins]

marjery

if they're in a low bush they sound like "easy pickins"
it they're there this time of day they'll likely be there in the morning
if you want to be adventurous, jury rig you a hive from a cardboard box tonight
you can shake em in there in the morning if they are still there
you'll find expert advice here this evening if you want to "go for it"

Dave

[marjery]

I have a box to put them in and will try shaking them in it in the morning. Do I just keep feeding them sugar water indefinitely?

[Michael Bush]

>Do I just keep feeding them sugar water indefinitely?

No. Just unitl they get established. Meaning they have some comb with some honey stored for rainy days. If they run low because of a dearth (easy to tell by lifting the hive since honey weighs a lot more than bees) then you need to feed some more.

[marjery]

Thanks for the encouragement. I got the swarm into a cardboard box by cutting the limb off the bush. I've set it up like a hive box and hope they'll stay until my husband can finish building a top bar hive for them.

[marjery]

I have put most of the bees in the TBH by brushing them out of the cardboard box. They had not made any comb while in the box 3 days. It has been around 100 deg every day. They have been eating a quart jar of sugar water a day. Am I training them not to forage? There are flowers in the neighborhood. I hope being in a real hive will get them started on comb making.

[RogerC]

What has happened since 14th July? It is now 28th August what is the latest news?

[marjery]

Somewhere I posted that they disappeared! I went on a weeks vacation and had them fed while gone but noticed they weren't coming out of the hive when i got back. It was totally empty with no beginning comb so they didn't stay long after I "caught" them. The new box didn't suit them! Thanks for asking.