[Artur_M]

Hello and Happy Easter.

I was doing some yard work today when I noticed that one of my hives got "crazy".
While I was put hose on shower mode, the got more and more in the air.

I don't know if showering them did anything or not, but they started swarming and settled on the tree very close and not too high so I could rich them.

I did couple of shakes and broom them into the bucket. I was showering the swarm too, before and during shaking.
It looks I got the most of it.
I am not sure if queen is in the swarm or not.

This is my first spring with bees and first swarm, so I don't know much and strategies.
They are all in the bucket with screen.
Now what do I do?

, , , ,

Swarm came out of left hive.
(top deeps were put about a month ago, I am not sure if there would be comb in them)

More pictures you can find here:
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1855.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1856.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1857.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1858.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1859.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1860.JPG
http://pictures.manasyan.com/2017-04-16/IMG_1861.JPG

 

[NCbeek]

Well, you've got the queen confined to a single deep on the left and a double deep on the right. That might have had something to do with the swarm. The water did nothing to help you. May even end up killing some of the bees in the bucket. Use a mist of water to stop robbing. Won't do anything for a swarm. My advice is to take the bees in the bucket and put them into another hive box asap. Take that queen excluder off or move it up on top of the second deep. Unless you have a lot of comb drawn in the second deep. the top super(third deep) may be too much room. Use it for the new swarm. Whatever you do, get those bees out of that bucket before they drown.

 

[dott]

Need to put them in a empty nuc or hive box asap, if you got any drawn frames add 1 or 2 of them in whatever box you use. Swarms are a wax making machine so fill up the rest of the box with undrawn frames.

 

[Artur_M]

I already drained the water out, so there is a little to non water in the bucket.
If "new" hive with "old" queen in 4ft away from "old" hive with "new" queen, will bees get confused where to go to?

How much time do I have before putting the swarm into the new box?
Can I do it tomorrow or day after tomorrow?

 

[dott]

You may have a few drift back, I caught a swarm 1st of this Month place them about 10 ft of the hive they swarm from and on problems, I also put something in front of hive so they had to reorient.

 

[johng]

You probably have a little time but, I would do it as soon as possible. Why wait unless it is unavoidable for some reason. Give them a frame of brood from one of the other hives. It will help them stay in the hive you put them in. No need to worry about the queens or bees going back to the old hive. I'm satisfied a few foragers will eventually rejoin the original hive if left in the same yard but, it's not enough to worry about.

There's a couple things you should do with the hive that swarmed. First go through it and destroy all but, 2 or 3 swarm cells. Unless you want more bees if that's the case you can use each frame with a swarm cell and make more hives. If not destroying most of them will cut down on after swarms in a week or so as the virgins start to hatch out. The second thing you should do is write the date down on the calendar. There's not really any reason to open the brood nest back up on that hive for about 25-30 days. At that point you can go in a check for new eggs. If you don't see any at that point you will need to get a queen or give them more brood so they can try and raise a new queen. Don't panic until 25 to 30 days after the swarm that's why I say there is really no reason to even open it up because there is nothing you can do until the time period has passed. Now you should still add supers as needed. There's probalby lots of brood in the hive and they could still need room to store honey so keep an eye on that.

 

[NCbeek]

I already drained the water out, so there is a little to non water in the bucket.
If "new" hive with "old" queen in 4ft away from "old" hive with "new" queen, will bees get confused where to go to?

How much time do I have before putting the swarm into the new box?
Can I do it tomorrow or day after tomorrow?

You can wait if you want but sooner is better. You don't want them using up the nectar they gulped before leaving the old home. They won't get confused. I have split and put them side by side. If the bees are wet they will suffocate piled on top of each other. Buckets are fine to catch swarms in but an easier way would be to shake them right into the new hive. sweeping and rolling bees every which way has the potential to kill or hurt the queen.

 

[Artur_M]

I just sprayed a little sugar water on the screen so they can survive till next morning.
I hope they will.

 

[DanielD]

Yes, an excluder over the single deep will make a lot of swarms if you don't manage that small of a brood nest right and often. You wrote the top deeps were put on a month ago and don't know if comb is in them. This time of year needs more inspection than that to prevent swarming. They can swarm in less than a week after the first queen cells get started. You should read up on swarm prep signs and prevention of it for the other hive. Also, that same colony can swarm again with after swarms in a bit over a week with a virgin queen. Take down all but maybe 2 good looking queen cells before that.

 

[Artur_M]

So, ....
I was thinking that my top deep of swarmed hive would be empty and I will be able to use it as the brood nest for swarm, but it was heavy with lots of bees in it.
Can I leave those bees inside the box, or should I shake them into the original hive ?

 

[DanielD]

The swarm left because it was crowded. If you put them back into the same amount of boxes you will have the same effect. The swarm needs it's own hive space.

 

[Artur_M]

DanielD, I was asking different question: I was asking if I take the top deep of original hive, which had some bees in it, and turn it to the "new" hive brood-box (leaving the bees that are already-in in it, not to shake them down to the original hive).

I already bought and painting my new deep box and hope will be able to transfer the swarm to new home tonight.
So I leave my original hives as they are now.
I will have 3+3+1 hives tonight.

Thanks everyone for support - this is very stressful for new beekeeper.

 

[Artur_M]

Three more question here:

I should assume the old queen got out with the swarm, so there should not be any mated queen in the hive.
Is new queen already there or it will hatch any day soon?

For swarm: How soon can I find out if they have queen?
How can I be sure, if I dump the swarm into the hive, they will not run away?

 

[DanielD]

A swarm generally has a queen with it, and all that's left in the hive are queen cells. The cells should start emerging somewhere around a week after the swarm. Then, it will take 1-3 weeks for the new queen to mate and start laying. If you didn't take out all but 2 queen cells, there could be an after swarm, or more, with a newly emerged virgin queen.

You can't really be sure the swarm will stay in what you give them, but if you would put a frame with some open brood in the new box, that should keep them there.

 

[gww]

artur

How can I be sure, if I dump the swarm into the hive, they will not run away?

I am no expert. I did dump two swarms into hives with in the day that I caught them. I put them in compleetly empty foundatioless frame boxes with no comb. I put two drops of lemon grass oil in the hive before dumping the bees in. My two did not leave.
I hope this helps.
gww

 

[Artur_M]

I dump the bees in the bucket as in many videos "how to put package bees in hive".
It's a plastic foundation 10-frame deep.

I am not sure if:
1. I captured the queen during swarm capturing.
2. the queen didn't get injured during transferring bees to the new hive.

I also put top feeder with sugar syrup on top.
So ... hope I did things well and the swarm will survive and the old hive will successfully produce new queen.

Is it ok, if I can find the mated queen, to introduce new mated queen to old colony?
(I am not sure if local suppliers are selling mated queen these days)
(I wasn't happy with defensiveness of old colony anyway, but as you can tell, the old queen was such a producer and the hive is booming)

 

[beepro]

That is the problem too many bees with a prolific producer will overcrowd the hive really soon. To prevent an
after swarm since more than one QCs might be in there, I would do a thorough inspection. Two more after swarms will
depleted your bee resources soon. Better check!

 

[DanielD]

Arthur, if you add a queen and they already have one, they will kill the added one. You have to know it's queenless. It probably has a queen. Wait a week and see if there's eggs.

 

[Artur_M]

DanielD,

For old (original hive): as it is in many literature and forum here, the original queen is leaving with swarm the original hive. I just don't know how soon new queen appears in the hive and how soon is she getting mated?

For swarm: when I caught the swarm, 1. I am not sure if in the crowd I also captured the queen, 2. I didn't damage the queen during the transition to new hive.

When the inspection of hives will show this?

 

[gww]

Artur
For my hive that swarmed, On the origional hive, I am going that the new queen will be laying and I should have some evidence of that in 24 days when I inspect. For the caught swarm. You should have good evidence and maby even capped brood in ten days if the queen was not injured. I usually need either capped brood or larva that is pretty big for me to see them and so though I think it is about right on when I should see something. I will wait an extra week if I don't before I start to panic.

I hope this helps and though giving this advice, I am still a new bee keeper.
gww