Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: saltybluegrass on September 12, 2019, 12:57:58 pm

Title: Van my swarm problem
Post by: saltybluegrass on September 12, 2019, 12:57:58 pm
I brought home this tree limb Wednesday and they absconded to the neighbors- I got them last night in the vacuum and through them in here https://youtu.be/WMRB-p9ZLIA
I was gonna leave them closed up until they acclimate
What?s any advice here? I need my vacuum top !!!&
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: van from Arkansas on September 12, 2019, 01:55:46 pm
Can you add a frame of brood, frame of food.  If you have the queen and add brood the bees will stay.  I never seen bees leave, abandon brood.

To free the vac top, shake the bees off, or better: smoke and gently brush the bees off.
Van
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: saltybluegrass on September 12, 2019, 02:28:21 pm
I added 2 frames from my other hive that?s also barely hanging on
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: saltybluegrass on September 15, 2019, 09:19:08 am
Great news - this swarm 1 week ago
https://youtu.be/ceFBEbeo1HY

The swarm has a top feeder w sugar an entrance with full activity and a gross toad!!
https://youtu.be/qbgvaqZBt6k

Sorry the confusing audio but here?s one of the toads
 https://youtu.be/ciCP51gmsPg

I?m pretty proud
That woman said there?s a bunch more from the original swarm  trying to live in her planting bucket near that swarm pic. Can I add it or are they making a queen? 
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: van from Arkansas on September 15, 2019, 09:56:04 am
Salt::::, BenFramed, Jim and Fish are the experts on swarms.  Hopefully one of the fellas will chime in and answer your question on adding bees from original source.

I saw bees packing in pollen into the hive.  That makes it a done deal, the swarm has accepted the hive as new home.

Van
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: cao on September 15, 2019, 10:52:10 am
> That woman said there?s a bunch more from the original swarm  trying to live in her planting bucket near that swarm pic. Can I add it or are they making a queen? 

Swarms don't make queens.  They either have one(or more than one) or they don't.  If they are stragglers from the swarm you caught then you can add them.  If they are a smaller swarm with their own queen, then there will be a lot of fighting if you try to add them.
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: saltybluegrass on September 15, 2019, 11:17:32 am
Lady has a beautiful yard and plants everything. Says she hasn?t checked maybe the rain chased them off-
Van I was super excited about the pollen pants too!!
That?s the swarm that jumped the fence when I brought them home. My neighbor was anxious I come retrieve MY BEES!! 
I was so tired of bees at that point just after surgery and working g all day on two different hives/swarms!! But I did and tried my vacuum again and got her !!
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: BeeMaster2 on September 15, 2019, 09:01:51 pm
I agree with Van and Cao,
Pollen means they have settled in.
If you want to add a small swarm to this hive go through it and find the queen and remove her the add them. They should have their bellies full and bee accepted.
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: Van my swarm problem
Post by: saltybluegrass on September 21, 2019, 05:19:08 pm
I opened this up today. I had a top on a deep. I had a top feeder. Feeder was empty - I sat to the side. The deep was almost empty no wax or any growth.
The brood box has 2 fantastic brood frames some hone frames and some nectar.
I also found 5-6 queen cells 2-3 open and 4-5 closed. Lots of drone cells
All the queens were in middle of frame pointing down. Any ideas?