Honey production after a swarm

**gardenbees** · 03-29-2006, 03:24 AM

My strong hive, the one I expected lots of honey from, swarmed a few days ago. How much honey can I expect from them if they have to take time off to raise a new queen. People have said that a hive can swarm several times during the season so how do they get any stores for the winter that way? Feral bees must have this figured out but I'm clueless. Theresa.

**tecumseh** · 03-29-2006, 03:38 AM

a swarm generally represent the loss of the honey crop. if a hive swarms repeatly, there is typically something else to be worried about. really the loss is not so much the time required to raise a new queen, but the loss of field force that followed the old queen. during the time when you might expect a virgin queen to be in the hive, you need to follow a fairly strict policy of hands off.

**Michael Bush** · 03-29-2006, 05:44 AM

If it's just before the main flow there it's not a bad time for the hive to be queenless. As tecumseh says, it's the loss of the field force that will hurt your production. But I have seen hives swarm and make a fair crop I woulnd't give up hope. Did you catch the swarm?

**gardenbees** · 03-29-2006, 01:53 PM

Yeah, Michael, that's the one that landed on the wheelbarrow and I put them in the nuc. Now, of course, I have another question. I decided to combine this nuc with a queenless hive. I put the nuc on top with heavy brown paper between them with slits cut in it. How long should I leave the paper in place before I allow the two to meet face to face? This is a huge swarm in the nuc and I don't want them to run out energy or get too hot. Thanks, Theresa.