:cheesy:Okay so I am very very new to bee keeping so here it goes. I got the idea this would be a fun rewarding and educational project to take on about a month ago so I looked and looked and found it to be very pricey online so I went to the local lowes and got the supplies to build a hive I built 5 hives with 3 medium supers each lids a solid bottom and a extra board under the lid. I felt I would not need exculders for about a year as the need to build up the hive. So I priced bees and looked around craiglist for nucs and found nothing of reasonable price and took to collecting my own bees. Now this was a split second idea so I have not been to see a real bee keeper or hive. I post an ad for free bee removal in my area and 2 days later boom. I have now had my ad up for 4 days and have collected a very small swarm and have a cut out to do Friday. I caught the swarm yesterday around noon to 1 and waited about an hour after i put them in before i left. upon further research i returned that night and collected the lose bees probable 200 of them. So I put them straight in a hive 5 frame with foundation but the lid does not sit just right as the frames did not fit the way they should i guess something was off with my blueprint. This leaves about a one inch opening across the top of the front of the hive and i have the entrance on the bottom. I have thought to cover up the entrance with a small board and just let them use the top hole for now. I only set them up in one super as the swarm was about as big as a softball. This morning I went out to check on them and make sure they had not left just to be chased away from the hive by 5 or 6 bees. I did not know what to feed them so I put some honey in front of the hive in a lid. So here is my questions.
- Why did they chace me away.
- when will I be able to tell if I got the queen
- will a swarm this size survive
- can i add bees to this from my yard i have tried tracing them back to hive just to find they went to different ways was told it sounds like i have two near my home.
Now for the cut out
- I have watched a few dozen videos on bee removal now but what do i really need i have seen people do it with out any suit
- do you cut the comb and put it in your box on site or when you get home
- how to do a cut out with no vacum
1. Because they dont like you! :) j/k...they are bees, it is what they do.
2. If they stayed you have the queen, but in a week or so you should find eggs if you check.
3. We need to know the size but yes they can survive. Swarms are usually sized based on sports balls....ie, softball, soccer ball.
4. I am not sure what you are asking but the bees from the swarm will not be going back to the parent colony.
I do not do cutouts.....too much work.
Blessings!!
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it is about softball sized
I can see them from the opening across the top and they are just hanging there in a big clump with about 30 or so flying around circling the hive. Is this normal until they draw comb.
Are you using foundation or are they bare empty frames? Because if they are bare frames without a guide of some kind you new experience may get very......exciting.
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they have foundation
Then if you built your stuff with beespace in mind you should be good to go. :)
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Quote from: TheNewKeeper on May 15, 2018, 12:24:41 PM
- Why did they chace me away.
In your area I wouldn't go near a hive I did not have experience with without a suit and veil. A characteristic of AFB is a small swarm. There are plenty of sketches of Lang hives on the web not to make dimensional errors. I don't consider cut outs free bees. I think it would be easier to get a job with urber and buy good bees.
Have fun.
Ace, would you consider knitting vrs Uber....... I know, I know {in a million years.}. Have a good evening.
Blessings
I am really just wanting to keep them from beeing sprayed just a couple days before I posted my ad there was a news article in the town over one 15 miles away saying they closed down a block in town so they could spray a hive. :sad:
Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on May 15, 2018, 08:02:00 PM
Ace, would you consider knitting vrs Uber....... I know, I know {in a million years.}. Have a good evening.
Blessings
Not knitting but sewing. LOL
Quote from: TheNewKeeper on May 15, 2018, 09:01:53 PM
I am really just wanting to keep them from beeing sprayed
If they are overly defensive you will be wishing they were sprayed. If you have neighbors then the wrong attitude about bees gets supported and that ruins it for others.