Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Swarms, Cut Outs, Trap Outs and Bee Trees => Topic started by: Yankee11 on May 10, 2014, 10:51:31 pm

Title: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 10, 2014, 10:51:31 pm
I did my first check to see how the first swarm was coming along. Ya win some ya lose some  ;D

Looks like she left a dozen or cells empty...

Should have bought a lottery ticket this day.



(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.postimg.cc%2Fmm5hszd45%2F20140508_172926.jpg&hash=abc3b9d0d268e8900ad9c61c134cb9fca72bf6bc) (http://postimg.cc/image/mm5hszd45/)
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 10, 2014, 10:54:20 pm
Holy Schmoly, wouldja look at That! How long has this swarm been hived?
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 10, 2014, 11:01:13 pm
April 14th.

This is one of 4 frames just like this. This is that tiger striped Queen that you pointed may be a VHS Queen.

Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 10, 2014, 11:18:57 pm
Wow! So cool! Congrats! Is this a hot hive?
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: blueblood on May 10, 2014, 11:29:41 pm
Wow! Nice!
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 10, 2014, 11:37:50 pm
nope. very gentle so far.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 10, 2014, 11:45:28 pm
You are off to a great start!  :)
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Slowmodem on May 11, 2014, 12:44:11 am
It doesn't get much better than that!   :goodjob:
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 12:54:18 am
Sooo Jealous!
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: jb63 on May 11, 2014, 01:29:59 am
Did she make it to the short list for grafting?
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 11, 2014, 09:20:34 am
right to the top.

Fixing to do some in fact.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: tmrschessie on May 11, 2014, 09:55:43 am
Excellent, how much for a bred queen? Could sure use a couple of those. Tom
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 11, 2014, 10:04:30 am
tm.

I'll get back to you once they are done and mated. I am not a professional although my other grafts have done really well.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Barbarian on May 11, 2014, 11:59:28 am
A very impressive frame of brood.

If you've got 4 frames like that then I pity the poor workers who came with the swarm. They must be knackered with having to feed and forage for so much brood.

Cautionary note  ...... Some colonies make lots and lots of bees but are poor honey producers. Such a colony can still be used to provide frames of sealed brood to boost weaker colonies. I wonder if the original colony swarmed because the Q was making a lot of brood and things became congested. A very prolific Q may not be a good trait. With so much brood, I would be concerned that a spell of confining weather could lead to starvation.

I would think twice before raising daughter Qs from such a Queen.

Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 12:15:17 pm
Barbarian - ""With so much brood, I would be concerned that a spell of confining weather could lead to starvation.""

Good point Barbarian! and it could quickly lead to swarming and cast swarming.

So what do you do if you have an abundance of brood and your apiary isn't big enough to share it?

Is it a good idea to give it to other beeks?

Can you freeze it?
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: G3farms on May 11, 2014, 12:19:33 pm
What did the rest of the frames look like, how much honey/pollen?

With five frames of solid brood, hopefully there are five frames of solid honey/pollen and ready for another super.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: LazyBkpr on May 11, 2014, 04:01:04 pm
indeed! That hive is on the verge of exploding!  That is amazing!!
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 11, 2014, 04:51:51 pm
Barb,

I'll go back and check what the food situation is in this deep. To be honest, once I saw these frames of brood I can't remember the rest  :)

I do know that pollen and nectar is is abundance around here right now.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Perry on May 11, 2014, 07:15:05 pm
Doesn't anybody feel sorry for the poor schlepp who sees that and realizes it may be one of his lost swarms?  :-\
If I lived nearby and saw that pic I'd be sick!  :D
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: LazyBkpr on May 11, 2014, 09:55:50 pm
Doesn't anybody feel sorry for the poor schlepp who sees that and realizes it may be one of his lost swarms?  :-\
If I lived nearby and saw that pic I'd be sick!  :D

 Yeah... I think that was one of mine...   Yank.. you can keep the bees just send the queen back.. I'll pay for shipping!!!   ;D
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 09:57:11 pm
Nah! I'll just send you one of mine, shipping paid!  :D
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: LazyBkpr on May 11, 2014, 10:19:45 pm
OMG!!  NO!!  I dont want to take the chance it gets loose any closer to the state, much less my town!!    :'(
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 10:22:25 pm
What  ??  afraid of a little swarming? Pft!

 ;) 8)
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: LazyBkpr on May 11, 2014, 10:28:32 pm
TERRIFIED!!!   :o
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 10:30:58 pm
MmHm! Now I know women rule the world!!
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 11, 2014, 11:18:23 pm
a LITTLE swarming?
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Jen on May 11, 2014, 11:33:26 pm
Just a tad...  ;)
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: apisbees on May 13, 2014, 02:29:25 pm
I would think that there may not be much pollen and nectar stored in the hive as G3 would like to see. after the first 3 days all the pollen and nectar being brought into the hive would have been used to feed the young larva that the queen started laying in abundance. It took 1 frame of honey and 1 frame of pollen to allow the bees to produce each frame of brood. The solid brood is a testament to the resources available to the bees to produce this quantity of brood so quickly.
Title: Re: What in the world is wrong with this first swarm I caught?
Post by: Yankee11 on May 14, 2014, 10:27:09 pm
I will check this hive tomorrow.

Pollen is crazy right now and a heavy flow is also going on.