Hello from Maine

[lindsr]

Hello from Maine.  I'm in my second year of semi-urban beekeeping, and all the good stuff is starting to happen:  lots of honey, a few stings, and some big swarms.  Earlier this week had two swarms on the same day, landing in the same tree.  We eventually got them both down, but they were quite cranky, unlike what I've heard about swarms.  I'm wondering whether they were queenless, or had virgin queens.  The hive they came out of is cranky as well, and is just closing off queen cells.

[BeeMaster2]

Hello from Maine.  I'm in my second year of semi-urban beekeeping, and all the good stuff is starting to happen:  lots of honey, a few stings, and some big swarms.  Earlier this week had two swarms on the same day, landing in the same tree.  We eventually got them both down, but they were quite cranky, unlike what I've heard about swarms.  I'm wondering whether they were queenless, or had virgin queens.  The hive they came out of is cranky as well, and is just closing off queen cells.

Lindsr,
If the hive they came from has queen cells being capped, you have the old queen. From my experience, the crankiness of the hive follows the queen. Since you know you have queen cells in the old hive, I would go into the swarm hive and remove the old queen and take a queen cell or 2 from the old hive and put it in that hive. It will probably calm down. The one hive that I had like that, I caught the swarm, they tore me up and I let them leave. Next time I will do the above. The old hive calmed down and was real nice after they swarmed.
Jim

[AllenF]

Swarms this late in the season and in Maine.   Something to ponder why.  A lot of ideas about to come up here on the forum.  That's what the forum is for. 

[tefer2]

Welcome to the forum, Lindsr!

[GSF]

Welcome