I found a swarm on a fence post yesterday, so brushed them into a 5 gallon pail and set up a 10 frame deep hive. I don't have any drawn comb, so I sprayed some syrup with Honey Bee Healthy on the frames, put a couple drops of lemon grass oil on the top bars, installed a top feeder and set the entrance reducer on the small opening. This morning 90% of the bees were hanging on the outside of the hive, so I brushed them back into the pail and dumped them back in the hive. I added a second 10 frame box to be sure they had enough room(about 3 gallons of bees), and blocked the entrance to keep them in. It will be in the 80's today, so how long can I leave the entrance closed. Any other ideas to keep them in the hive?
Swarm won't stay in hive?
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If they're going to go blocking the entrance likely won't stop them. Having the queen should keep them put. Are you sure you have the queen? Inadequate ventilation will cause them to leave also. Blocked in could overheat them and you stand to lose them that way too. A frame of open brood can help if you have it.
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They are bees. They will stay, or they will go. Imprisoning them isn't going to help your chances, or the health of the bees. It is possible you are fuming them out of there with the lemongrass oil. No need to add LGO when you have the bees. Most importantly, they need ventilation...then hope for the best.
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Try placing a queen excluder underthe bottom super then open the entrance. Make sure that the top does not have any holes where the queen could escape. A frame of brood will help. OMTCW
I typically find and cage the queen for atleast 24hrs, more like 48hrs and add atleat 1 drawn comb. There is no need to feed them during the flow, they will put on quite a bit of stores since they have no brood to raise.
I caught 6 so far this year and they all stayed, some already have honey supers on, our swarm season is pretty much over here until fall unless we some really good soaking rains the next few weeks....
I caught 6 so far this year and they all stayed, some already have honey supers on, our swarm season is pretty much over here until fall unless we some really good soaking rains the next few weeks....
I took a frame of comb from another hive and put 2 pollen patties in the hive. I just opened the entrance after having it blocked for 8 hours. So far there seem to be more bees going in than coming out. We'll see what things look like in the morning.
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Cedar Hill is spot on with the queen excluder. We caught a late swarm in august last year and had to retrieve them 3 times before they settled in. The last time we plopped a QE on top of the bottom board and then dumped them in. They won't leave without the queen.
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100% False statement. You did well your first time. If the bees decide to boogie, you'll find your empty hive with a dead trampled queen on the excluder. Can it help? Maybe. Is it a guarantee? Absolutely not. Are the bees doomed with no queen and no brood at their new location? Absolutely. I choose to let them decide, and if they choose to leave, at least they have a shot with their queen.
LeonardS...glad they settled down for you. Good luck!
Thanks B I M!
I choose to let them decide, and if they choose to leave, at least they have a shot with their queen.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I make the decision, not the bees, I have never seen the swarm leave their queen, I have 4 locked in right now, and 6 others are settled in and the excluder is off after a week,and I see her laying. It is a good plan. I lock cut out queens in too. After all that work, they don`t get to decide to just boogie>>>>>>Pete
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You are probably correct that it's not a 100% guarantee of keeping them in place. It's not terribly uncommon to find a virgin queen and a mated queen in the same swarm. An unmated virgin can slip through a queen excluder and if there was something wrong with the mated queen, they might choose the virgin over the older queen. I've never seen a swarm leave without a queen, but that doesn't mean it will never happen. Still, if I'm presented with a choice of doing nothing and watching a swarm fly away, or doing something with a chance of keeping them there, I'll try to keep them there every time. It has worked for me in the past. Sorry if it seemed like I was guaranteeing that they'd stay.
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oldiron...You have obviously mastered a skill very few have...YOU make the decision, not the bees? Really? It's either slavery, imprisonment, or animal abuse....not sure which...but the BEES WILL ultimately decide. Glad I'm not your kid...or bee...
I am editing this to add and apologize...to each their own approach, and I have no right to speak out about your approaches...If it works for you, it works. I will add I got tired of coming out to an empty hive with a smashed stampeded queen when I tried the "queen includer" method. To each their own. As long as folks realize there is no guarantee... More important that they know different perspectives...and different approaches/experiences. This is a learning forum after all.
BMI, Your edit was the correct response.. There are newbees coming here for answers, and for you to say " 100% false" to a method that works for alot of beeks is just misleading. But I can appriciate the use of the phrase "stampeding" the Queen, that makes my back hurt just thinking about it. Grasshopper said it better than I was able to about the choice. The % of keeping the swarm is way higher if you keep the Queen in the hive. I kinda wish I was Your kid and allowed to do what I wanted ! Just kiddin,,,,,,Pete
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