Too late to hive a swarm in southern Wisconsin?

[kevinmbong]

Hi All,
Second year beekeeper, I hived a swarm last month which brought my number of hives up to four.
I just talked to someone today who has a swarm (size of two footballs) in their yard near my house.  Is it too late in the year to hive this swarm and get it to live through the winter? 

I also considered combining it with one of my weaker hives...but I doubt I'd be able to find and kill one of the queens (I'm no good at finding them).

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.  I've been a lurker here for a long time but this is my first post, ya-all are great group of very knowledgable people.

Kevin

[Bill W.]

Two footballs is a pretty good number of bees.  I'd put them in a hive, start feeding immediately, and see how they do.  Then, as cold weather closes in, you can make the call on whether to combine them with a weaker hive.  It will also be easier to find the queen by then.  If you take your time, you ought to be able to spot a queen in one of the hives.

[Scadsobees]

I don't think it is too late, especially if you can feed them for almost 2 months.  You can winter them on top of a larger hive to conserve heat.

Combining them with a weak hive is a great idea, use the newspaper combine and they can sort out the queens.

If nothing else you can put them on foundation and get a super of foundation drawn out full of honey for a split next year.

[ArmucheeBee]

If you did not hive swarm and you left them in the yard.  What would become of them?  Would they not find a place of their own and try to store up before winter?  I guess they would all die eventually with limited food?   So saving them now and feeding them really is saving them?

[mtman1849]

I would hive it. and feed religously.

[Michael Bush]

It's always worth hiving it.  In a month or two you can decide what to do next.

[Brian D. Bray]

A swarm that size can make it with the right approach.  Put them into a 2 tier nuc box due to the amount of bees and feed them hard.  If you can get them to build out most of 2 nuc boxes of frames and make stores in the next month and a half they'll make it throught the winter in the nuc configuration where they wouldn't in a standard 8 or 10 frame hive.  Up and narrow works better for overwintering bees if limited size, space, or resources.