i dont think they swarmed, sounds more like they absconded.....youll have to give them some eggs to create a queen from....
Looks like they have been feed Nutra-Bee.
Great advice. I will be checking them this morning. You gave me a great idea to do two splits on them with two new queens. The place I bought them does owe me a queen so I could pick up a second.Your sixty pound package of bees, does look awesome. I hope you can figure a way to get them all sorted out or that's gonna be a hive ready to swarm about as soon as you can turn around and an extremely expensive single colony. Though it probably finished drawing the foundation last night.
Yes you need a place to sit when you have a tough day in the hives. Yea we are moving it farther from the house. Just to many hives up close. 1-2 is fine next to the house. But, 30 is a bit much. Especially when a heat wave hits they seem to love our shampoo and get tangled in the hair and my guests for the barbecue. They don't seem to like it much. :scratch: Plus when my daughter does the tramp and hose on a hot day to many bee's come for the water by the hundreds.Just wanted to comment on the photo in post #15. Only a beekeeper would put a lawn chair 5ft in front on a hive and so many hives so close to the trampoline! I love it. The photos on this site have been priceless for this newbie.