Surprise Swarm, many problems

[Tillie]

Hi and thanks in advance for the help -

Today I went out onto my deck where my hives are thinking it would be a good idea to move an old deep sitting on its end facing a hive that I moved into medium boxes.

I picked up the deep and carried it about 6 feet when I thought it seemed heavy - looked down and there are at least 5 frames of bees. I set the box down like it's supposed to be set, looked back where it was, and there are bees circling looking for "their" hive....so in a new beekeeper panic, I picked the deep back up and moved it back and set it on its side, like I thought it had been.

When I got back inside I noticed that I had set it on its side in such a way that the frames all were falling on top of each other - I'm sure bees died and maybe the queen died or was injured, assuming a queen was there.

I had to leave it because I was Granny-nannying my 11 month old grandson and couldn't leave him to do anything more.

I just went out to the deck, set the surprise swarm deep in its proper orientation on a stand and put a piece of plastic on for a roof until I get one. I noticed a ball of bees on the ground. I separated the ball and a queen was in the center. Don't know if she died or I saved her or if she were injured or if she even was associated with this hive (although they were right between this and another hive).

Any advice? I feel like my panic messed up everything. I do have a couple of other hives doing well with brood in deeps so I could add a frame or two of brood from other hives - if I do that, when do I do that?

And I need to move the hive - it's not in a location where I will be able to work it without being in the way of two other hives.

Help - all advice appreciated.

Linda T in Atlanta

[wade]

It looks like you have a nice little colony there. I'd hive it properly into a hive. If you don't have one, then put it into the one they moved into on their own accord, with those frames and all. Make sure there are the proper number of frames in there, and that they're properly spaced. Put a board or whatever you have for the cover, for now. This should all be done right away. Move it to where you want it, at dusk or early in the morning. But bear in mind, there will be a hundred or so bees wondering around that old spot for several days, and they might be angry. there are ways to minimize that but I won't go into it- yet anyways. After doing that I'd leave them alone for at least a week.

[Tillie]

I went to Lowe's and bought a 2'X2' board to put on the top and weighed it down with a flower pot. It doesn't help that it started storming in Atlanta just after I did all of this setting up of the hive. I left the bees in the deep in which they put themselves, put an extra bottom board and a hive stand that I happened to have and set all of that where they were.

I'll move the hive where I want it to go and hope they get all settled. I may be able to do it tonight if it stops raining. Someone told me to stuff the entry with grass so that they think a branch has fallen and they have to reorient. Problem tonight is that it is storming - lightning, thunder, etc in droughty Atlanta.

I am most worried that they killed the queen or that she didn't get back in the hive. I didn't expect that - I checked the ground where the ball was after I coaxed the bees in the ball to return to the box, and didn't see her but that doesn't mean she went back into the hive.

Thanks for the encouragement,

Linda T

[David Stewart]

didn't see her but that doesn't mean she went back into the hive.

Linda T

If she didn't, the bees you put in the hive would have gone back out to find her and created another ball. My bet is that you got her back in the hive. Keep your fingers crossed that she isn't injured although with "five frames of bees" they probably have the resources to make another queen if you did. You should be fine so don't sweat the "oops" and enjoy the- cool, I have a new free hive.......

David

[Tillie]

I'm hoping - I can't do anything about her even if she isn't in the hive, so I'm hoping either they make another queen or in a week when I inspect it, I'll add some brood frames from two other hives and maybe we'll be in business.

I'm going to the Young Harris Beekeeping Institute in N Georgia next week, so maybe I'll know more about what I'm doing after that!

Thanks for the support,

Linda T