The wait is killing me

[HomeSteadDreamer]

Got a swarm call yesterday.  Of course we were busy cleaning the house so 25 kids could come over and study for latin.  BUT... we ran out anyway to spend hours with this swarm.  They were right on the side of the wall, basket ball circle but not a sphere.  two to three bees deep.  I'm still learning how to estimate but didn't seem like an extremely large number.

Anyways, didn't see the queen in the cirlce but trying to work quick just brushed them into a box. put on a screen lid and closed it up so that the ones inside couldn't escape but ones flying could collect in the top of the box with the screen.  Observed some fanning behavior and when we came back at night most seemed to be in the top of the box.  It is about to storm big time here and tomorrow too.  Can't get in there til Tuesday to see if we have a queen.  Today when I passed by I thought I saw some bringing in pollen so hopefully they are staying but is there a queen?  The wait is killing me.

This is only my second swarm catch and the first one we had to requeen.  If there isn't one, I'll take some egg from a stronger hive and let them build one.

[Spear]

Well good luck. I hope you find the queen!

[Joe D]

I am probably reading this wrong, but you have a screen top on the box, and  bad weather on the way. And you can't get back to them until Tuesday.   If this is the case, they will be caged in a box with a screen roof.   As for as seeing the queen, I don't worry about that.  If you get the queen in the container the rest will follow her in shortly.  If she isn't in there they will go to where she is.   It won't take a long time to tell if she is there.   Good luck to you and your bees




Joe

[HomeSteadDreamer]

I should have been more descriptive but I didn't want to ramble too long.  The original box was set up for a vacuum.  There are two box with a top box that has a screen bottom and a top that has two wholes for the vac setup.  But once I got home we put them in a standard 8 frame medium lang with a normal top.  They are protected from the weather.  But we have gotten over 3" of rain in the last 5 hours so not going in til Tuesday.

The screen in the trap/vacx box allowed us to collect extra bees without those inside escaping but we emptied them into a normal box once home.

I won't be back in til Tuesday because that is when the weather will clear up.  Their new home also has a top feeder that I put sugar water on before closing them up.

If she isn't in there they won't be able to go where she is because we drove like 15 miles after trapping them.  This was a swarm call from a business not one of my hives.

[HomeSteadDreamer]

Well the first question is answered.  She was in there.  She had black stripes on her.  Our queens don't have that they are just a tan color.  She was nice and fat so I think she has been mated.  They are stocking up on sugar water right now so no where for her to lay as they build comb.  The numbers seem a little low so I'm gonna try to steal some brood from another hive tomorrow but I have top bars and I put her in a medium lang so it might be interesting trying to get her some brood have to do a cut out on my own comb :)  I am excited about expanding the diversity of genetics in our small apiary.  Soon I'll get the courage up to go treatment free and take the losses over the winter that comes with that.