Empty Nuc Entices Bees?

DayValleyDahlias · June 24, 2008, 09:17:04 PM

Hi All,

I placed a Nuc I freshly painted outside near the beeyard, and wow are the bees interested in it...

May I leave it there? I am not enticing them to swarm am I??? I inspected the hives today and they are 4 mediums high, with the 4th med not much drawn out...so they should have plenty of room.

Thanks

Moonshae · June 24, 2008, 09:38:24 PM

From what I know, bees aren't tempted to swarm because of a location, but rather because of conditions in their hive.

HAB · June 24, 2008, 10:30:24 PM

Earlier this year, had a nuc that was full that I planed to put into a Lang. Closed it entrances at night. Next morning picked up an empty nuc and slid in 3 drawn frame - no brood, honey or pollen. Took it with me out to the location of the full nuc planing to get some brood, honey and pollen from one of my hives and start two new nucs after transferring the full nuc into the Lang. Placed the empty nuc about five feet from the full nuc, picked up the closed up full nuc and did the transfer. About 30 minutes later went back to get the empty nuc from where I placed it to start putting the two nucs together. Imagine my surprise to find a swarm moving in. Got there just in time to see the Queen walk in. If the swarm had been any bigger they wouldn't have fit. :)

DayValleyDahlias · June 25, 2008, 11:06:56 AM

Okay, I will leave it out to see if a swarm comes along~*~

JP · June 25, 2008, 11:40:23 AM

Quote from: DayValleyDahlias on June 25, 2008, 11:06:56 AM
Okay, I will leave it out to see if a swarm comes along~*~

Sharon, giving a colony room is not enough to inhibit swarming, you have to go in and check them. I have seen plenty of colonies swarm out that had plenty of room to expand. You have to free up room in the broodnest, before they've decided to make swarm cells, once that's done, you have to make splits to convince them that they've swarmed by putting the queen from the parent hive in the new set up.

The bees that are checking out your nuc could very well be scouts from a colony that is about to swarm.

...JP

DayValleyDahlias · June 25, 2008, 10:53:39 PM

Oh dear JP...yikes...guess I had better check the brood nests eh?? Not till the weekend though..hhhhmm...oh well...such is..

Mucho Thanks for that info!

JP · June 26, 2008, 07:52:57 AM

Quote from: DayValleyDahlias on June 25, 2008, 10:53:39 PM
Oh dear JP...yikes...guess I had better check the brood nests eh?? Not till the weekend though..hhhhmm...oh well...such is..

Mucho Thanks for that info!

Not to fear, this is what they do, perhaps you'll be lucky enough to witness the event, its so cool!

...JP

randydrivesabus · June 26, 2008, 10:46:17 AM

i had an empty nuc sitting outside the basement door...it had 5 drawn frames in it one of which had some honey. there was much activity in and out of the nuc and I thought a swarm had moved in but it turned out they were just stealing out the honey.

DayValleyDahlias · June 26, 2008, 11:25:36 AM

You know folks, I am much less stressed/freaked about "what if the bees swarm" etc...It is ok, and it is pretty cool...I am feeling much more calm about the whole thing! Hooray!

HAB · June 26, 2008, 11:37:55 AM

Swarms are cool! Unless they just keep on swarming, Russians will sometimes swarm three or four times a year, its just the natural thing they do. Be prepared with traps and lures. You might just get lucky end up with a new hive.

DayValleyDahlias · June 27, 2008, 11:31:12 AM

Yup, I "think"I am ready...LOL but we never know with bees eh??

Michael Bush · July 03, 2008, 10:42:20 PM

Bees look for a house because they are moving. They don't move because they found a house.

DayValleyDahlias · July 04, 2008, 10:50:54 AM

Ah Michael so good to see you, and that was crystal clear advice, thanks.