I cut out a small hive in a shed about ten foot off the ground inside the wall. I got three frames of brood an honey that's all that was there. Caught the queen an all the bees an put them in a ten frame deep. I blocked the entrance with wire an brought them home 20 miles away an pulled the entrance block about ten o'clock. I went out today an was pulled two frames of capped brood from my strong hive to help boost them. As I removed the capped frames I placed them against the other hive that is about ten feet away. Why I was installing two new frames in my strong hive my wife noticed there were alot of bees flying around the hive I cut out last night. Before I could get the strong hive closed up my new cut out hive swarmed an left everything behind. I opened the hive an there were no bees at all just the three frames of brood. My wife watched the swarm an I went ahead an put the 2 frames from the strong hive in the new box with no bees now. An a baggy of syrup. Within 10 min. We caught the swarm an the queen an placed them back in the deep box witch now has 5 frames of capped brood eggs larva. I blocked the entrance off with screen wire an put a queen excluder between the box an bottom board. That's were I stand with this hive. Here's a couple questions 1. What did I do wrong 2. Why did they swarm an leave there brood behind. 3. Should I do something different. An 4. Is the wire an queen excluder ok like that an for how long should I leave it like that
Oh this is my first year beek started with 2 packages an not have 5 hives. When I started no one told me how addicting it was.
Joe Joe,
1. You didn't do anything wrong. I have done to same many times. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they don't.
2. Bees have a mind of their own. Sometimes they leave.
3. You have now done what I usually do. Add the queen exclude.
4. I usually try to leave it on for about 5 days. Long enough to get the queen laying eggs and have some larvae to stabilize the hive. Last week I noticed that I still have a queen exclude on a new hive that I forgot about, 3 months ago. Since I did not have time to take it off before going on vacation, I just changed the screen top board with one that has a top opening.
Jim
Ok i have read an watched videos trying to prepare myself for things like this an as they began to swarm right in front of me all that prep. reading ect. started flooding back in my mind an I just want a few opinions on what I did. I guess I just need comformation from someone else to ease my mind. Or to let me know if I did any wrong or did everything that I could do. Thanks for your response.
Leave the excluder on the bottom to prevent the queen from leaving. Remove the wire so the bees can relief themselves and orient. Also the drones will not be able to get through the excluder.