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Author Topic: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........  (Read 1234 times)

Offline Ben Framed

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A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« on: May 07, 2022, 10:32:06 pm »
Though swarms have been few for me this year, about mid-day I noticed a swarm in progress here at my home yard. It was pleasant observing while wondering, "where are they going to land". They never did. To my surprise they finally flew back to the hive they left from. Hum...

I strolled to their location. They were pretty much all over the front of the hive, and had began settling down and 'marching' in. I opened the top and bees were plenty. Questions went through my mind.

I had someplace to go and time was short so I did not dig in the hive. As I was walking away I noticed a small ball of bees on the ground behind the hive. I knelt down and gently rubbed my finger through the ball. Sure enough! There she was! Thought she was in a ball, she was not being balled but taken care of. A white marked queen! I gently picked her up not wanting her to fly away and went for a queen catch cage. When I placed her in the cage I found the answer to the mystery. She only had one wing!

Not being able to fly away with the swarm, and the swarm realizing they had no queen, they simply came back (home). I had noticed when I opened the hive, to my pleasant sunrise the top box was jam packed full of honey.

As time was limited, here is what I did. I placed a 10 frame box of drawn comb on top. On top of this I placed yet another box of drawn comb, less 1 frame for a total of 19 drawn frames. The reason I did this is I was short on time and had to do something quick. I placed the caged queen on top of the frames of the first added box in the place of the missing 10th frame, of the second added box of 9 drawn frames. My reasoning was, "this may be a way to temporally bank her in her very on home hive." Even if another queen is already hatched and in the brood area I am thinking the honey layer will keep the two separated.

On the other hand, if there are only capped cells in the bottom brood area ready to hatch, the bees 'should not' cut the cells down since they are separated from the old queen on top by the full deep box of honey? (question mark). Is this assumption accurate? For the sake of experimentation, I think I will leave her in this banked condition for a couple days and see just what transpires....  'Then', I will make a regular split at my convenience with frames of what is necessary to start a new hive with resources for the old queen coming from another hive. I do not want to disturb a newly hatched queen if that is what the situation might be. Your thoughts?

Phillip




« Last Edit: May 08, 2022, 06:14:08 am by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline gww

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2022, 11:21:40 pm »
This early in the year, I think I would have split maybe three (maybe more) ways right away.  Depends on if her condition has slowed the impulse and the queen cells are older then normal but if they hatch, bees are leaving in the crowded hive.  This does not make me right as I am not a very good bee keeper but I am greedy and don't want to lose bees.  Sounds like you had the comb and it might not have taken any longer then what you did.  leaving that many bees with the cells sounds risky to me.  The queen caged above may not draw many bees as attendants as she is giving no brood that would need covered leaving the bottom pretty crowded with bees.  These are just my thoughts and I do not mind being corrected and learning from it when smarter people then me answer.
Cheers
gww

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2022, 11:40:26 pm »
Thanks gww, I don't want to lose the bees either. I don't know what is in the brood area. There may be capped cells ready to hatch and there might actually be new virgin queen or queens plural. Really I do not know what is inside. Kind of like a box of chocolates lol. I am banking on the notion they will accept the present situation described as the hive that has already swarmed since the old queen is caged above and separated from the brood area by the honey barrier? If this assessment is correct then they should settle down and go back to work? Especially with the added space?

Honestly gww, I am just guessing, gambling, and learning at the same time. If the gamble and guess is correct I just may have a great honey production with this hive, that is 'if' they do not attempt swarming again as they are very strong in this heavy nectar flow. Blackberries are blooming and abundant, busting at the seams!. But if your good logical reasoning is correct I may loose all the way around.  :oops: :grin:

Phillip




« Last Edit: May 08, 2022, 06:21:52 am by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline FloridaGardener

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2022, 11:54:54 pm »
Suggest:


If you have another bottom board,  take caged Q and artificial swarm/split to an outyard.   
If you don't have a spare bottom board, split with a Double screened board or even a QX, and let the caged queen loose to start laying again. Add a frame of pollen and frame of honey.

When you have an hour, pull all capped honey. Sub empty frames/undrawn frames.  Flow is steady now, they will keep bringing in supplies.



Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2022, 06:24:16 am »
Thanks for your suggestion FloridaGardener.

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2022, 09:57:38 pm »
Day 2 Update.
The bees are all business. The hive entrance is busy busy busy. Pollen and Nectar are being brought in a steady free for all! The temporarily banked one wing queen is being well tended too by nurse bees.

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2022, 12:02:36 am »
Day 3:

Same scenario as day 2.
I am thinking I will proceed as described in my original post on day 5 if nothing changes between not and then.

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2022, 08:26:15 am »
Yesterday, Day 4: No Change. All was well.

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline gww

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2022, 10:41:50 am »
Good to get updates.
Cheers
gww

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: A New Swarm Experience For Me Today........
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2022, 12:40:06 pm »
Thanks gww, today is day 5. I plan on pulling the one wing, banked queen today, giving her a fresh new start by making a two frames starter nuc. I will pull the resources from another hive. I don?t want to dig in and disturb this one for a while as there might be a new queen by now, (mated or virgin).

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.