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swarming, opinions

1K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  Michael Bush 
#1 ·
well, I am certainly having a busy spring! My hot hive swarmed today; THAT was interesting to see.

I re-inspected my other hive, they are releasing a queen; being one to try my best to screw things up, I "harvested" two other queen cells, a bunch of nruse bees and some drones. my crazy notions is to somehow raise one of these queens to completion for my front hive.

I have this party in an old bee shipping box; anyone care to share how to finish hatching the queen? Any chance she will get fertilized by the drones I put in there or am I really just taking pot shots? Could I simply put this Queen cell in the hot hive and they finish the job?

What a learning experience.
 
#2 ·
>I have this party in an old bee shipping box; anyone care to share how to finish hatching the queen?

If you put them in a nuc with some food the bees will probably take care of it for you if you have at least a cupful or more of bees.

>Any chance she will get fertilized by the drones I put in there

None at all.

>Could I simply put this Queen cell in the hot hive and they finish the job?

If the hot hive swarmed, the old queen left with the first swarm and there are queens emerging now in it. If the population isn't small enough yet, there will be afterswarms with each subsequent virgin leaving with the afterswarms until the bees are satisfied that the population is what it should be then the next virgin will be allowed by the workers to kill the rest of the queens. Probably, including the one you are thinking about giving them.
 
#3 ·
Is adding more space a form of swarm control or is it once they are in the mood, they are just in it? I have considered adding a 3rd deep to each hive and baiting them up with syrup.

But you are right (And I know you know that!) even though they have both swarmed at least once, there seem to be a tremendous number of bees still left and I am expecting them to go again.
 
#4 ·
>Is adding more space a form of swarm control or is it once they are in the mood, they are just in it?

It is a form of swarm control BEFORE they make up their mind to swarm. It doesn't do much good AFTER they make up their mind. Once they are building swarm cells, I just do the split for them.

>I have considered adding a 3rd deep to each hive and baiting them up with syrup.
But you are right (And I know you know that!) even though they have both swarmed at least once, there seem to be a tremendous number of bees still left and I am expecting them to go again.

Then split them. You can always combine later. It's better to have three small hives with the bees still there than to have them off in the wild blue yonder.
 
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