Queen left behind after a swarm

[Rogerio]

I understand that when a hive swarms the old queen leaves with the hive. Is the new queen usually mated by the time the swarm leaves, or is that something that happens after swarming?

Roger

[beemandan]

I understand that when a hive swarms the old queen leaves with the hive. Is the new queen usually mated by the time the swarm leaves, or is that something that happens after swarming?

Roger

Mating usually comes after the swarm. Swarms often leave the hive even before the replacement queen has emerged from her cell.

[Rogerio]

I was hoping that the queen would have mated before the swarm. I just moved my two hives about 300 miles across the state, and where I'm located now I've seen absolutely no sign of any bees within a 30 mile radius. They swarmed 1 week after I moved them.

It would appear that the new queen's only mating option would be with drones from my two hives. I don't think they're closely related, but I can't be sure. I started them both from swarms that I picked up about 5 miles apart.

Are there any other options besides II to get my queen mated? Can I stick her in a mating nuc and drive her to where I think there might be some bees within a reasonable distance and then bring her back? How long would I need to leave her at the other site to be sure she got mated? They just swarmed yesterday. Or should I just take my chances with my two hives?

Roger

[beemandan]

I bet you'll be surprised. Unless you are in the most isolated, remote spot imaginable, far from any sort of civilization there'll be drones to mate with your queen.

[Rogerio]

Look up Wallowa County in Oregon. It's remote all right.

There is a guy over in Idaho that brings bees over when the clover starts blooming early in June, but no beekeepers here until then. I haven't seen any bees on the fruit trees at all until I brought my bees over.

[riverrat]

you should have wild bees in the area. I bet they an be found in walls of peoples houses old barns hollow trees or any other cavity they find suitable.