I did a camper cutout 3 weeks ago. I checked on them 2 weeks ago, all looked OK, but no eggs. However, I thought i had a swarm cell in there so I was OK with that.
I did 2 more cutouts last week and dropped them off at 3am at the yard. One of the hives I put next to the camper cutout last Thurs. At that time, in the dark, I noticed nomral activity at the camper cutout.
A week later, today, I checked on the 2 new cutouts and looked in on the camper cutout. The camper cutout was empty. And there was a big ball of bees under the entrance to the new cutout next to the camper cutout.
Looking in the empty hive, there were the beginnings of wax moth and SHB. Oddly there was unhatched brood, and some bees dead with there head sticking out of cells. I'm not sure what made them leave. Honeyflow is on. Perhaps they had no queen and fled to the smell of the queen next door.
At this point, my new cutout just got 5 more pounds of bees, so I think I'm groovy with it. Perhaps I'll split after honeyflow this summer. Not sure.
Any ideas?
no clue, but I'm posting (again) so I can see the responses to your questions.
Bees are picky tenets, if they don't like the digs they'll move. Seems like they absconded next door and may try to take that hive over.
When doing cut outs and swarms old equipment works better than new equipment bee retention wise. Then there's the queen includer.
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 29, 2009, 01:22:31 AMThen there's the queen includer.
After experiencing just this sort of thing a few times last year (with one knock-down, drag-out, bee colony death match), I always install an includer with both swarms and cut-outs now for the first week. I haven't had a repeat.
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 29, 2009, 01:22:31 AM
Bees are picky tenets, if they don't like the digs they'll move. Seems like they absconded next door and may try to take that hive over.
When doing cut outs and swarms old equipment works better than new equipment bee retention wise. Then there's the queen includer.
What I don't understand is the brood they left behind. That doesn't sound like absconding that I know.
Quote from: Grandma_DOG on May 30, 2009, 02:51:39 AM
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 29, 2009, 01:22:31 AM
Bees are picky tenets, if they don't like the digs they'll move. Seems like they absconded next door and may try to take that hive over.
When doing cut outs and swarms old equipment works better than new equipment bee retention wise. Then there's the queen includer.
What I don't understand is the brood they left behind. That doesn't sound like absconding that I know.
Swarms won't usually leave brood, cutouts, on the other hand will. Why? Because of the disruption, the relocation, and the distruction of their old haunt. They will leave the cut out brood sections placed in the new home because of all the termoil.
So Pooh was right. You never know with bees.
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on June 08, 2009, 12:46:46 AM
Quote from: Grandma_DOG on May 30, 2009, 02:51:39 AM
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 29, 2009, 01:22:31 AM
Bees are picky tenets, if they don't like the digs they'll move. Seems like they absconded next door and may try to take that hive over.
When doing cut outs and swarms old equipment works better than new equipment bee retention wise. Then there's the queen includer.
What I don't understand is the brood they left behind. That doesn't sound like absconding that I know.
Swarms won't usually leave brood, cutouts, on the other hand will. Why? Because of the disruption, the relocation, and the distruction of their old haunt. They will leave the cut out brood sections placed in the new home because of all the termoil.
Quote from: Bill W. on May 29, 2009, 01:31:06 AM...with one knock-down, drag-out, bee colony death match...
One colony invading another colony?
Quote from: Grandma_DOG on June 08, 2009, 06:49:03 PMSo Pooh was right. You never know with bees.
Yes, but I wouldn't take all of his advice. For example, if you dress up like a bee, I don't think the bees will think that you are also a bee. I don't think that works. Feel free to try it, though. And post a video.
"Tut-tut, it looks like rain!"