Yesterday I had a swarm rest high enough in a tree, that I had to use a ladder. Limb was too large to shake them off, so I took a frame of drawn wax and held it under the swarm to let the bees walk onto it. I made 6-7 trips up and down doing this. I did not see the queen.
Oh joy, another swarm occurred while I was up the ladder enticing bees to walk on the comb and before I got the 1st swarm settled in its box at the base of the ladder. Meaning the inner cover and outer cover were not on.
The 2nd swarm headed into the box where I had been dumping the bees from the 1st swarm. They were all over the ground around the box, on the backside of the box. I hurried down the ladder and put the inner cover and outer cover on. I scanned for the queen from the 2nd swarm but did not see her. I assumed that she had already went in the box. I moved the box to its new location next to some of my other hives.
About 20 minutes later, I noticed many bees still on the backside of the box. So I walked over and started watching them. I spotted a queen. So I placed her in a clip. I went and got another box, sat it below the bees on the backside, and laid the clip on the top of the frames. The bees from the backside started entering that box. I released the queen from the clip into the box and placed the inner cover on the box.
I was cleaning up ladders and stuff - guess 30 minutes had passed and I heard some humming. Looked up towards the noise and a cloud of bees were flying around the 2nd box that I had placed the queen. I walked up there and the bees were coming out of the 1st box and going around the hive into the 2nd box. No biggie, the bees realized their queen didn't make it into the 1st box and went out to find her. This all settled down and I moved the 2nd box away to another part of the yard.
An hour passed, I'm doing other stuff, And I hear humming again in the direction of the 1st swarm box. I walk to that box and bees are pouring out of it. They are flying right into the hive sitting next to it. That hive was queenless and I had placed a frame with a swarm cell from another hive in it on Thursday. The 2nd box completely emptied into that hive.
Late in the day, I did check the 2nd box that i moved. Spotted the queen - all is good with that one.
So what do you think will happen to the 2nd box of bees? I am not convinced they were queenright. Thinking either I didn't get the queen from my ladder trips or the 2nd swarm had enough bees to get in the box and they killed her. With no queen, those bees eventually left the box and went to the nearest motel 6 (aka hive sitting right next to them).
How long would you wait to inspect that hive to see if they tore down the queen cells and hopefully did so because they brought a queen with them.
Oh joy, another swarm occurred while I was up the ladder enticing bees to walk on the comb and before I got the 1st swarm settled in its box at the base of the ladder. Meaning the inner cover and outer cover were not on.
The 2nd swarm headed into the box where I had been dumping the bees from the 1st swarm. They were all over the ground around the box, on the backside of the box. I hurried down the ladder and put the inner cover and outer cover on. I scanned for the queen from the 2nd swarm but did not see her. I assumed that she had already went in the box. I moved the box to its new location next to some of my other hives.
About 20 minutes later, I noticed many bees still on the backside of the box. So I walked over and started watching them. I spotted a queen. So I placed her in a clip. I went and got another box, sat it below the bees on the backside, and laid the clip on the top of the frames. The bees from the backside started entering that box. I released the queen from the clip into the box and placed the inner cover on the box.
I was cleaning up ladders and stuff - guess 30 minutes had passed and I heard some humming. Looked up towards the noise and a cloud of bees were flying around the 2nd box that I had placed the queen. I walked up there and the bees were coming out of the 1st box and going around the hive into the 2nd box. No biggie, the bees realized their queen didn't make it into the 1st box and went out to find her. This all settled down and I moved the 2nd box away to another part of the yard.
An hour passed, I'm doing other stuff, And I hear humming again in the direction of the 1st swarm box. I walk to that box and bees are pouring out of it. They are flying right into the hive sitting next to it. That hive was queenless and I had placed a frame with a swarm cell from another hive in it on Thursday. The 2nd box completely emptied into that hive.
Late in the day, I did check the 2nd box that i moved. Spotted the queen - all is good with that one.
So what do you think will happen to the 2nd box of bees? I am not convinced they were queenright. Thinking either I didn't get the queen from my ladder trips or the 2nd swarm had enough bees to get in the box and they killed her. With no queen, those bees eventually left the box and went to the nearest motel 6 (aka hive sitting right next to them).
How long would you wait to inspect that hive to see if they tore down the queen cells and hopefully did so because they brought a queen with them.
