Author Topic: Swarm capture  (Read 3510 times)

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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Swarm capture
« on: July 17, 2015, 06:12:00 pm »
Hey everyone!
I am in the middle of capturing a swarm and have little idea of what I'm doing.
I have about 2000 bees put into a new hive, the rest are still in a tree.
Do I assume the rest will come down to new hive?
Do continue trying to get the rest of them down?
Am I in great danger of killing the queen?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Offline G3farms

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2015, 07:27:49 pm »
If the queen is still in the tree, the bees you have in your box will most likely leave and rejoin the rest of the group..........or

if the bees in the box can dance hard enough to convince the bees that are in the tree with the queen they have found a new home they will slowly move to the catch box..........or

If the the scouts have already found a place that suits their needs they will all leave the tree and the catch box........or.........

I would try to watch the bees and see what they are doing, you will see them move either to the box or the tree. Watch closely and if they are moving to the box most likely you have the queen or convinced them a box is better than a tree limb. If moving back to the limb them shake some more bees into your box.

Good luck and report back how it went!


Bees are bees and do as they please!

.... --- -   -... . . ...   .-- .. .-.. .-..   .... .- ...- .   -.-- --- ..-   ... - . .--. .--. .. -. --.   .- -. -..   ..-. . - -.-. .... .. -. --.   .-.. .. -.- .   -.-- --- ..- .-.   .... . .- -..   .. ...   --- -.   ..-. .. .-. .   .- -. -..   -.-- --- ..- .-.   .- ... ...   .. ...   -.-. .- - -.-. .... .. -. --.
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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2015, 07:58:43 pm »
I think I've captured about 2/3 of the swarm, which was the most exciting thing I've done in quite some time! :yes:
The bees I have in the box look like they are staying, though the other third are still In the tree about twenty feet up.
Question, should I set up the hive by the one they swarmed from? Does distance matter?
There are still a lot of bees in the air, so I'm enjoying a beer and watching the action. 8)
Thanks for the prompt reply g3!
Going to hang tight here til dark and be back before daylight, hope all is settled down and back to business.

Offline Perry

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2015, 09:22:48 pm »
I'm not a big fan of moving a swarm close to the parent colony. If you see the bees in the box fanning at the entrance (butts in the air exposing their glands) you have got the queen and the rest will soon join her.
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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2015, 09:34:18 pm »
I like to hear that Perry......that's exactly what was happening.
I will check them in the morning.
How far do you usually move the swarm hives from parent colony?

Offline Perry

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2015, 06:40:31 am »
If it's going to stay in the same yard I would move it as far as comfortably possible just to avoid any confusion for the bees. It may not rerally matter but I never like to tempt fate.
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Offline Ray4852

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2015, 08:27:48 am »
I had one hive swarm last month. I caught the swarm set up a new box next to the hive they came from. I put the swarm in the new box next to there old hive, 20 minutes later they swarmed again back to there old hive. I had to add another brood box and one more super to keep them home. As of today this hive is doing well. This hive will overwinter with 3 deeps. Its just pure luck I was there at the time watching this hive swarm. I let two others swarm. They fixed their hives with new queens. Those hives are doing good also. Its been a good year so far. I added one more hive to my yard and sent out some bees to the trees.

Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2015, 12:01:44 pm »
Update.....we secured the queen :yes:
Must be all the clean livin! O:-)
The stragglers are coming home. This is going to be a fairly expensive venture if I don't start building my own hives.....worth every penny thus far!
Thanks again for the advice

Offline Perry

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2015, 01:00:29 pm »
This is going to be a fairly expensive venture if I don't start building my own hives

 :yes: :D :yes:
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2015, 04:25:15 pm »
Good going BBK. 
I hope my time change doesn't have me confused and I'm not offering this advice too late.  If it is too late, you can just ignore it.

The best time to move a newly caught swarm to its "final resting place" is the evening of its day of capture.  At evening tide, all the bees should be together in the hive, so by moving the hive, you won't lose any.  The next morning, when they start leaving the hive from its new place, they will mark the new location in their navigational memories and you shouldn't have any of them going elsewhere.

Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: Swarm capture
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2015, 11:40:28 am »
Thanks efmesch! Gotta say that was quite the adventure!
Yes you were a little late, however always good and appreciated info that comes from you.
Gonna go out and look at the activity level at the hive today, make sure all is well.
Apparently I missed some warning signs the last inspection on the parent hive...learning curve....
Did our weekly on it yesterday, 7 queen cells, one was opened. Didn't see what I figure is virgin queen, though I'm sure she's there somewhere. And I reiterate....rookies :-[