I installed my first hive about a week ago and things seemed to be going well, but just a few minutes after I took a small peak into the hive the entire colony flew away! Including the queen as I saw her little blue dot sticker right before she took off. They are now flying around the top of a cedar tree 30ft up. What do I do?
It's a good idea to keep lemongrass essential oil around and when installing bees into new equipment put about four drops in to help anchor them. If you already have bees, a frame of open brood is a great anchor. Now you have the problem of trying to bait them back to the hive they already rejected. Anything you can stack the deck with I would do. Lemongrass oil, QMP (pseudoqueen or "queen juice" from retired queens), old dark brood comb...
I unfortunately have none of those as it is my first hive. I set the package I bought them with as close as I can to the swarm after spraying it with some sugar and putting some wax they left inside, hopefully they might decide to try and make that into a home. If I can I will try and capture them.
The swarm is still on the tree too far out of reach, but I'm seeing a lot of bees eating from the feeder on the hive. Is there a chance they might decide to move back in?
man what is up with the bees this yr, there is a guy that posts on the JP the beeman FB group that has lost 50% of his swarms and cutouts to absconding.
A week ago? Have you looked in the hive they left to see what is inside the frames? Do you have a network of beekeepers/a local association? Someone may have something tall, or a vac with extensions, to help you out.
Are you using a screened bottom board? If you are, did you put the debris tray in when you installed? If not it's not uncommon for the bees to leave as such.
A bunch of bees keep going from the swarm to the feeder on the hive and back. I'm hoping that they might decide to move back in or at the very least move closer to the hive so I can catch them.
Given your circumstances I'd remove a few frames to make your hive appear more like a swarm trap. Run to the health food store and grab some lemon grass oil and do as the others said. IF you get them to go back in, then place a queen excluded below your bottom box for a couple of weeks .
Someone recently posted a video of fellows getting a bunch of bees from way in a tree. They shot a cord over the bees using a bow and arrow. Then pulled the cord till looped the branch. They gave the cord a sharp tug, violently shaking the tree limb and the bees tumbled down into the bed of their truck.
Or...maybe this is the moment to test Swarm Commander
Good luck.
I don't know if yours will return, but I had this exact thing happen to me with my first set of hives. They landed about 30 feet up behind the hive, while I was running around trying to figure out what to do, about an hour later I found myself in a swarm of bees by the hive, could not understand what was happening. The next thing I know they are all back in the hive. This wasn't a package and it wasn't just drones so the only thing I can figure is the whole hive went with the new queen. Guess she wanted everyone to watch! In the end I'm glad I got to see it.
if you don't have lemon grass oil, lemon pledge works in a pinch. I used some last week on a trapout to help the disoriented bees find the new entrance.
Hmmm, I have no experience here, but maybe a lemongrass oil scented sock on a pole ( think tv antenna pole ) would lure them away from their branch, & then you could get them back in the hive.
IF you try this , all the "antenna pole" precautions about power lines, etc, apply.
Let us know how this works out.
Good Luck, ... CE
I put a couple drops of the lemongrass oil in a clean spray bottle and water then gave a rag a good couple sprays. I put it on a pole within 5 ft of the swarm. Hopefully they start going for it.
I put a few drops of the oil inside the hive and also in the package I got them in, hopefully they will go for one of the two. A lot of foragers keep showing up at the bee feeder so I'm hoping that between that and the lemongrass oil they will come back home.
I think tech had a good idea.A pole or anything you can put up near them.Even up on that ladder something with a drop of lemongrass oil.If you can knock them loose they would become attracted to it and you could then bring them down.Just be careful on the ladder up that high.At 20' you can break lots of things from a fall.
I havn't tried this, but have heard that if you put a garden fork in the ground in an open area, with a queen in a cage tied to the handle, it will attract the swarm to where you can collect them from the handle,,, of course
for you just starting, having a queen in a cage is an issue,,,,maybe beg: borrow: or buy: anyway good luck.
Day three: Bees still up a tree, converted a hive box into a trap, sprayed it with lemongrass, put in they tiny bit of comb they made before in it, and some actual honey.
I like this, it's a nail bitter. Better than watching TV. My packages come Monday so I'm excited to see what happens. I'm keeping a eye on this thread, keep us updated!!!!!!
Well, I better go into a little more detail then. Taking the top box from the hive I converted it, baited it, and otherwise made it as appealing as possible for the house hunting colony as I know how, even went so far as to buy some honey to entice the former tenants back home. So far they have sent a few dozen bees either to eat up the bait to bring back to mobile command or to see if it is a prospective home.
The sun is setting and hopefully the next day they will move from their lofty position.
Tanging the bees. https://youtu.be/pUIjiZWWDn0
There are some other references here on BS in reguard to tanging or thumping or something of the sort...I'll try to find it and post it...
Day 4: The swarm moved to another one of the cedar trees and I can't see them but bees keep visiting my trap box and then flying back up afterwards. I am leaving it alone for now.
I have been looking around for possibly getting a replacement package if they don't come back, but unfortunately almost all of the local sellers are sold out for the next month or so.
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