Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: Mosti on April 08, 2015, 07:25:41 am

Title: How long without food.?
Post by: Mosti on April 08, 2015, 07:25:41 am: I moved this swarm which I caught with a bait box this morning. It has been there a week or so due to combs present. I moved it just about a couple of hundred metres. Now I have closed them in their new home.
Knowing that they have nothing to eat, how long can I leave them in a closed hive/nuc.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: kebee on April 08, 2015, 07:33:59 am: I would give them some 1 to 1 syrup as soon as possible, if nothing else to draw comb, don't want them to starve either.

Ken
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: Perry on April 08, 2015, 08:31:30 am: I agree, feed , feed, feed.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: Riverrat on April 09, 2015, 10:44:49 am: Open them up they will be fine. If your still concerned put some brush in front of the opening so they will reorientate. And has said feed feed feed
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: Mosti on April 09, 2015, 03:56:31 pm: Hi, thanks for the replies. I have opened the nuc this morning, placed some leaves and they appeared to be orientating themselves well.

However when I went back to put the bait box in its original place, from where I caught this swarm, I found a couple of hundred bees in the place where the box was before.
Now I have to remind yous that I moved the box in the morning , with the swarm in it when it was still dark. Could it be that workers sleep away of the hive/nuc then go back the following morning?

As soon as I put the bait box in place, the bees present started moving in, obviously. Now I will try and go the earliest possible next morning and move the workers which I find in the bait box to the Nuc containing the swarm.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: Perry on April 09, 2015, 06:28:48 pm: While I have never read of bees spending the night away from the colony, I do myself believe some do.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: Slowmodem on April 09, 2015, 07:16:27 pm: Quote from: Perry on April 09, 2015, 06:28:48 pm
While I have never read of bees spending the night away from the colony, I do myself believe some do.

There are always a few bees on my feeder before sunup. I don't know if they just stayed for the buffet, were too tired to go home, or are at the end of the line.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: LazyBkpr on April 10, 2015, 07:23:36 pm: I have seen that as well. I paid attention as the sun came up, and once they were warmed they vanished one by one.. Each time I checked a few more were gone.. So I think, they were warming up and heading back, but as mentioned, maybe they were done and flew off to find peace.
Title: Re: How long without food.?
Post by: iddee on April 10, 2015, 08:29:27 pm: I have read several times that they will rest under a leaf or some where overnight if bad weather, or too far from home to make it by dark.