Last month I hived two swarms. One large and one about 2 pounds.
While working in the yard I noticed the large swarm that I hived started to pour out and it was on, swarm, thousands of bees in the air.
Then the smaller swarm that I hived, which sits just a feet away from the other, started to abscond as well!!!
They both mix and lands in the same location in a neighbor's tall tree which I couldn't reach.
Next day or two there were tons of dead bees on the ground beneath them, probably due to fighting as the two swarms mixed themselves.
Have anyone else experienced one swarming hive triggering another?
I believe it was John Seaborn I heard say Hives in the same yard that are prone to swarm will excite each other to swarm. Next time you hive a swarm that you caught, try putting a queen excluder between the box and the hive bottom. At least until some comb is drawn and or the queen decides to lay. If she can't get out the rest of the bees should stay too.
I hope this helps. There should be lots more help coming from these guys and they probably can help you more than me.
Oh yeah, usually what I do is try to cage the queen for 2 days and give them a frame of at least drawn comb.
Just got too busy and didn't do that for these two swarms. Oh well.
Are you saying you hived them last month and they swarmed today?
Also, did they swarm or abscond?
A swarm leaves a working hive behind. An abscond leaves an empty box behind.
Was robbing or AHB involved?
Sorry, should have been more clear.
Abscond. After the first one absconded then second swarm absconded right after following the first colony.
Swarms hived and second day they absconded.