New bees

[O2]

How do you keep new bees from flying away from a hive?

[BILLY BOB]

Hey 02,

I'm from Monroe Ga, maybe you can stop by the chat room one night and we can talk. Somebody is generaly there between 9:00pm and 10:00.
www.bee-l.com/beesourcechat.htm

I'm not quite sure what you're asking. Do you mean how do you keep a new introduced package of bees from flying away?

Once a swarm, package, or split of bees have been placed into a hive they will most likely stay. I have only had problems with bees flying away when I didn't get the queen when I got the swarm. Sometimes when a hive of bees in a house or tree have been removed they may leave. I've found if you put some brood from another hive in with them they will stay.

BB

[Michael Bush]

If you are talking about a package they occasionly abscond but not often enough that I worry about it. If you are talking about a hive, they rarely abscond, especially if there is any brood in the hive. If you are worried about it or think the situation might encourage them to abscond, put a queen excluder on the bottom board and make sure there is no upper entrance and the queen can't leave. They will not leave without her.


[This message has been edited by Michael Bush (edited March 24, 2004).]