no really, what are they doing?

[jackalope]

Re: my "uhhh, what are they doing?" post last week

I was checking out that same hive today and thought it seemed a little light in numbers - no bearding, the new super seems pretty much empty and barely had any comb started on it. Then I noticed the usually buzzing seemed to be in stereo and low and behold this is what I found less than 10 metres from the hive (that's the hive in the background).

http://www.storm.ca/~vladhed/really_swarming.jpg

Now, is this a swarm or are they just bearding someplace nearby? I couldn't see the queen in the ball - they were quite friendly and didn't mind me disturbing them (BTW, yellow is a bad marker colour for a queen - I twice came across what I thought was the queen - until it flew away and I realized it was a worker with pollen on her back).

I tried to find the queen in the hive, but they guards were far more testy than usual and I gave up after pulling two brood frames. I notice one of the frames had about 100 drones on it - I though that was about all the hive would normally have?

[kirk-o]

It looks like a swarm to me I have got a couple here in L A that were on the ground just like that.Give them a place to go set a box down they will march in
kirk-o

[jackalope]

It looks like a swarm to me I have got a couple here in L A that were on the ground just like that.Give them a place to go set a box down they will march in
kirk-o

Well that was easy :-)

I took the top honey super (deep) off the hive the swarm came from, since it was pretty much empty of bees and had 6 partially drawn out frames in it, to entice the swarm with, and put it down next to the swarm. I scooped up a thousand or so bees in a cup and dumped them in the hive, replaced the cover and left them. Came back 1/2 hr later and could see a slow steady march into the entrance.

6:00 pm

http://www.storm.ca/~vladhed/march1.jpg

7:00 am the next morning - not all there but the ball is much smaller

http://www.storm.ca/~vladhed/march2.jpg

inside

http://www.storm.ca/~vladhed/march3.jpg

Hopefully when I get home this afternoon the ball will be gone and I can hunt for the queen. Curious if it is the main swarm and hence I'll find my marked queen or if this was an after swarm and I'll find a new queen.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

If your marked queen was clipped, then you have your answer why they were on the ground.

If they are not all in the box when you get home, set the box closer to the remaining clump.

And put the rest of the frames in the box before they start drawing wax!

[MapMan]

If your marked queen was clipped, then you have your answer why they were on the ground.

If they are not all in the box when you get home, set the box closer to the remaining clump.

And put the rest of the frames in the box before they start drawing wax!

Bet they already started!

MM

[Parke County Queen]

Great pictures. I haven't had the opportunity to do this & it's the first time I've seen them "march" into a hive. Way cool.

[Jeffzhear]

Great pictures. I haven't had the opportunity to do this & it's the first time I've seen them "march" into a hive. Way cool.

It really is neat to watch a swarm march into a hive...When you have a swarm drop off the branch you've been trying to retrieve them from and hit the ground,and spread out...then you quickly put a box down on the ground next to them and if you're lucky, they march in....that's a great feeling...

[jackalope]

I was checking on the caught swarm hive and found all 10 frames drawn out - almost all had the top 1/3 filled with capped honey, a big circle of pollen in the middle - not bad for 8 days work! Wax is very yellow since goldenrod is what is in bloom.

I couldn't find a marked queen so I suspect this may have been a secondary swarm with a virgin queen. I checked the frames for eggs but initially couldn't see any - good thing I took photos because as soon as I put them up on the computer screen, there they were - every photo clearly showed the eggs! I guess the veil was obscuring my vision or something:

http://www.storm.ca/~vladhed/new_comb.jpg

So I found the swarm on the 14th - got it fully in the new hive by the 16th, and this photo was taken on the 24th. Is that enough time for a virgin queen to mate and start laying?

[jackalope]

...I couldn't find a marked queen so I suspect this may have been a secondary swarm with a virgin queen...

Nevermind! I pull one of the middle frames this morning to check for capped brood and yup, there was plenty of capped brood and there, wandering across my field of view, is the queen with the yellow dot on her back...