Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: First swarm into foundationless hive.  (Read 3699 times)

Offline melliphile

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 118
  • Gender: Male
First swarm into foundationless hive.
« on: May 17, 2010, 02:27:16 pm »
Greetings to all.
    This weekend I hived a swarm in my first attempt to start a foundationless hive. I used one partially drawn frame just to give them somewhere to cluster. I put a hive top feeder with about a quart and a half of sugar water to encourage them to set up shop. I reduced the entrance to discourage absconding or robbing.  Other than that , I used two mediums with brand new foundationless frames (save for the drawn frame aforementioned).
     I just recieved a call from the property owner and it sounds like the bees are getting ready to leave.  My question is this; should I have put more drawn comb in the hive to keep them there? Maybe a frame of brood from another hive? Did I do something wrong?
"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm into foundationless hive.
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2010, 05:55:30 pm »
sounds like you did right!  Maybe the bee's are just trying to orientate to the new home?   I think unless it was a really big swarm I would have only put out one box though till it was drawn.  I have never used mediums for brood though?

Offline melliphile

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 118
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm into foundationless hive.
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2010, 07:49:03 pm »
After a long day of work and then checking out a bee tree in the city this afternoon, I didn't have the wherewithal to make it out to the beeyard. I'll check tomorrow a.m. and see if they are still there.
"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: First swarm into foundationless hive.
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2010, 09:18:32 am »
You can never tell with a swarm.  Certainly one drawn comb has an attraction to them as does a frame of brood...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline melliphile

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 118
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm into foundationless hive.
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2010, 12:46:27 pm »
Despite the rain and chill and I just had to check them today, and it appears fine. Nobody flying from any of the hives in the yard, and a single guard bee checked me out at the entrance of the aforementioned swarm. I took off the lid to see them at the window of the hive top feeder, so it appears that they have taken up residence.
 Thank you for your input.
"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

 

anything