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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Newbie with New Swarm-- okay to move from temp hive after a month?
« Last post by heartfarm on Today at 08:05:30 pm »Hi! Thank you in advance.
I caught a swarm last weekend and borrowed a bottom board from a neighbor until my hive parts came in and am feeding them. This all happened quickly and I wasn't quite prepared. The swarm basically surrounded me for about 60 seconds and then clustered on the ground so I took it as a sign to step into gear
I ordered a kit from Dadant that includes a 10-frame deep super and medium shallow. I'm waiting for the hive stand and queen excluder. Right now I have them in a clean "temporary" deep super I had in the barn, and am still looking for the best location. We are rural, 5000ft high desert and sometimes winds of 35mph so am considering building an adobe wall long term for windbreak. I have pasture and orchard 0.1 miles from the house but lots of variables with cows, irrigation and critters so am considering ample space uphill nearer the house. Right now I have the hive set on boards with cinder blocks just inches off the ground (all I had available) just outside our courtyard wall under a mesquite bush with weight on top of the cover.
All of that background to ask-- how long do I have until the hive is "settled" and have to take strong considerations for relocating the hive?
My plan is to move the frames they are building on (now 7 days) into this "new" hive being delivered after they've been in there for about 3 weeks total. The new hive is already painted white and may fare better in weather (sun, monsoons, some light snowfall). Is that wrong? Do I need to, or is it better to keep them in the existing super (proper super just not painted) and just set that on the new bottom board/stand, and add the medium on top of that?
thank you!
I caught a swarm last weekend and borrowed a bottom board from a neighbor until my hive parts came in and am feeding them. This all happened quickly and I wasn't quite prepared. The swarm basically surrounded me for about 60 seconds and then clustered on the ground so I took it as a sign to step into gear
I ordered a kit from Dadant that includes a 10-frame deep super and medium shallow. I'm waiting for the hive stand and queen excluder. Right now I have them in a clean "temporary" deep super I had in the barn, and am still looking for the best location. We are rural, 5000ft high desert and sometimes winds of 35mph so am considering building an adobe wall long term for windbreak. I have pasture and orchard 0.1 miles from the house but lots of variables with cows, irrigation and critters so am considering ample space uphill nearer the house. Right now I have the hive set on boards with cinder blocks just inches off the ground (all I had available) just outside our courtyard wall under a mesquite bush with weight on top of the cover.
All of that background to ask-- how long do I have until the hive is "settled" and have to take strong considerations for relocating the hive?
My plan is to move the frames they are building on (now 7 days) into this "new" hive being delivered after they've been in there for about 3 weeks total. The new hive is already painted white and may fare better in weather (sun, monsoons, some light snowfall). Is that wrong? Do I need to, or is it better to keep them in the existing super (proper super just not painted) and just set that on the new bottom board/stand, and add the medium on top of that?
thank you!