Author Topic: After swarms  (Read 3297 times)

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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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After swarms
« on: July 30, 2015, 08:38:04 am »
Hello again keeps!
Another question from a rookie. ;D
I had a hive swarm 12 days a go and caught it and it seems to be doing well. I received a call from the property owner where my hives are now located yesterday afternoon telling me we had another swarm, so we get out there and sure enough, as big as the last one only in a much more convenient place. Caught the queen by hand after my wife spotted her, got her in a box with a packed frame of honey and pollen. Hope she stays.
My question is how do I stop these secondary swarms?
If I don't stop them I won't have much for bees left in my parent hive for the winter.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys and gals.


Offline iddee

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2015, 09:31:06 am »
First, all swarms may not be from your hives. Swarms seem to be attracted to apiaries.

Second, after swarms are usually much smaller than the primary swarm.

Check your hive /s?

 The swarms may be coming from somewhere else.
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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2015, 02:58:40 pm »
Thanks iddee! I don't know of any other keeps in the hood....how far would a swarm beard up from the parent colony? There has to be at least five pounds of bees hanging on that post.
I peeked into the parent hive and the population doesn't seem to have dropped much, so I assume that they are someone else's bees. Sweet! The price is definitely right.

Offline Perry

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2015, 03:35:23 pm »
I have caught several swarms that size this year (my own  :-[) and several of them have drawn out comb to beat the band but are waiting on the virgin queens to start laying. These were clearly afterswarms as the size and shape of the queens indicate it.
I can also say that I can rarely tell which hive has swarmed by the number of bees left in a colony, they usually still appear jam packed. It is only by finding queen cells that I am able to narrow it down (not that it really matters at that point). ;D :D
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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2015, 08:55:54 am »
I still have no idea where these bees came from, hopefully they stay in the box I have put them in.
Thanks Perry.

Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2015, 09:52:28 am »

   Going through the hive.., IE; Tipping up boxes and looking for queen cells every week (7 days) is the only way to know if they are preparing to swarm. It takes about 9 days for them to cap the queen cells, then they usually pack up and head out. If you are doing two week inspections your going to lose quite a lot of swarms...
   When I find swarm cells I will usually remove all but two cells and use them elsewhere, provided I like the hive/queen they originated from. I also usually move the queen and two to three frames of bees/brood to  nuc so the new nuc and the original hive both "feel" like they swarmed. If the hive is particularly strong I may move as many as five frames of brood/bees to the nuc..   This is usually enough to head off any further desires to swarm, and it keeps the original hive moderately strong and producing honey!
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Offline apisbees

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2015, 03:10:04 pm »
Bee Numbers.
When a hive swarms and 4lb's of bees leave with the queen. But left in the hive are 12+ frames of brood close to 3/4 of it capped by the time the queen as quit laying and swarmed. So 8 frames of brood that is capped, when the virgin emerges 7 of the 12 days of the capped brood in the hive will have emerged. by the time the Virgin is ready to fly with a cast swarm 8 or 9 days will have past. So 2/3 of the capped brood will have emerged.
12 frames of brood in the hive when prime swarm leaves
8+ frames of the brood are capped
Brood from 6 frames have emerged by the tine hive issues some cast swarms.
The initial 4Lb swarm remover bees that would cover 8 frames but since the first prime swarm 6 frames of brood have emerged. That is enough bees to cover 12 frames. In most cases the hive is more crowded when the cast swarms are issued than when the prime swarm left. This is why it is common to have 3 or more cast swarms leave a hive.
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Offline badgerbeekernube66

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Re: After swarms
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2015, 09:42:33 am »
Thanks for the info lazy, apis.
What started out as one experimental hive has turned into four.....this next year should be interesting!
I don't know if the two swarm hives will be strong enough to winter when the time comes, so I'm sure I will be back asking the best way to combine!