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Offline DebNoble

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swarm play
« on: July 15, 2016, 07:32:48 am »
What an interesting afternoon - I watched a swarm forming from what I thought was my best-behaved hive and followed it about 100 ft until it settled about 12 feet off the ground on the branch of an old apple tree. Of course this was in a very rough old bushy/weedy/rocky/hard-to-get-to jungly area. So I conscripted my husband's help, got a step ladder, long ratchet clippers, box, sugar spray, brush etc. and set off to capture my first swarm... well after an hour of gruelling hot work and raining clumps of bees, we got most of it into the box. They were quite pissed off! I trudged out of the jungle and got them to the nuc I had ready, and dumped/brushed most of them in/near it. We watched them begin to all go inside and I thought maybe I was lucky enough to have got the queen?! I left them for an hour... went back to check... and guess what? They nuc was empty.They had gone back to their original hive! Not funny! They were all piled on the front streaming inside - What's going on? Are they going to try that game again? Geesch.
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Offline iddee

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2016, 08:04:19 am »
Most likely, the queen didn't go with them. They will probably go out again today.
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Offline apisbees

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2016, 08:23:59 am »
If the queen is damaged in your attempt to collect the swarm the bees will return to the original hive. I have also seen the queen with a small clump of bees on the ground, they broke off of the swarm. Due to her size she may not make the the flight to the new location in a single flight. This is why swarms will settle so close to the hive when they first exit.
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Offline DebNoble

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2016, 08:48:55 am »

Yes I'm afraid the queen was lost or damaged... It was such a rough area and the weeds etc. were so tall that the bees that missed the box tumbled to the ground or flew off :(
The branch that the swarm was on was empty of bees - but they didn't all neatly fall into the box that's for sure!Its cool and drizzly this morning but I'm keeping my eye on them!
It would be nice to have some help with this swarm-cathing game, but here are no other beekeepers within over 30kms as far as I know.
Too bad, she was a good queen  :-X 
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Offline apisbees

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2016, 09:03:24 am »
You have a bunch of her daughters in their final stages of brooding so I would pull frames with cells in start a couple of nucs. partly due to the hive is crowed and they could swarm with a virgin a couple of time as the population did not get diminished with the bees returning from the swarm. it also gives a better chance as getting a new laying queen in the hive in case something happens to the queen in her mating flights and she doesn't make it back you have other possible queens to place in the hive.
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Offline DebNoble

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2016, 10:42:10 am »
Thanks apisbees - as soon as the sun comes out I'll try to make another nuc as you suggest. I've already tried to male a nuc a few weeks ago but it didn't turn out so well... I'll try agiain!
I appreciate all the help I can get  :)
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Offline apisbees

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2016, 10:50:59 am »
Just be careful remove a few outside frames to give you lots of room for removing frames with out damaging the queen cells.
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Offline G3farms

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2016, 11:56:42 am »
Might set out a couple of swarm traps, would make like much easier, just not as fun though........ask Jen ;D :D
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Offline apisbees

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2016, 12:29:49 pm »
And no guarantee that the bees will use them. They might find an old abandoned tree cavity that they like better. Don't get me wrong setting up swarm traps are useful and a good Idea but If you know where they are going to be coming from a proactive approach I think is a better option. 
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Offline DebNoble

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2016, 01:33:25 pm »
Did it - I made a new nuc with a a couple of good frames of brood + at least 2 capped queen cels (didn't see them when I checked last week), plus a couple of frames of honey - all thickly covered with bees + I tried to "shake" more bees into the nuc but they were getting pretty cranky... I also  left queen cels back in original hive but couldn't spot the old queen (but she might be still there).
Anyhow I think it went ok. I put the new nuc about 20 ft. away facing a different direction. I just went down to check and there seems to be a lot of bees milling aroung the new nuc. I'm not sure what robbing looks like  but I'm hoping i'm seeing orientation flying... I tried stuffing the entrance with some grass to reduce access just in case but bot sure what else to do but wait...?
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Offline apisbees

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Re: swarm play
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2016, 02:14:55 pm »
This time of year in your area I doubt robbing If they were fanning with their Nasonov's gland exposed it was for nuc/bee orientation
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