Help!

Janemma · June 20, 2008, 04:10:20 PM

I have a problem! I caught a swarm on Wednesday - they are doing great - I have them in a new hive out by my vegetable garden! BUT!!!

Big BUT!!!! On Wednesday night I kept them in a big box in our workshop - mainly because a big storm came in on Wednesday night and so we moved them from the yard to the workshop QUICKLY......I didn't want them to blow away and we had to get the new hive ready for them and everything...so they were in the doorway of our workshop in the big tub with a gap so they could fly i and out......there are pictures on my bee blog....

But unfortunately they flew into the window of the workshop which faced the sunset.....

DH and I spent AGES last night with a cup and cardboard getting them out of the window and into the hive outside by the vegetable garden just as you would if one was in your house (omg what a chore that was lol but we didn't know what else to do lol)

We closed up the workshop as best we could and put a curtain up on the outside of the window but today I go to the workshop and guess what lo - yep - the window is full of bees again......

and sadly some of them have died from the heat :( so not only have they come from the new hive and managed to find their way back into the workshop, but they have found their way back to the window.

Why would they do that? It was such a short time they were in the workshop - I can't imagine the Queen would have been there as I would have thought the Queen would have been on the frames in the box (if you look at the pictures I posted on my blog to me it would have made the most sense (although I am still such a beginner at this but to me that would have made sense).

Anyway, what would you suggest? Should we move the new hive further from the workshop? The vegetable garden is close to the workshop so we could move the new hive down by our other hives which is about 500 metres from the workshop and down by our pond. We were just worried about disturbing this swarm yet again. It would mean it would be much further away from the workshop though and away from these windows that are attracting it. We could wait until dark tonight when the bees are all inside - we could wait and get as many bees out of the window as possible.

Any other suggestions?

Janemma · June 20, 2008, 07:57:30 PM

anyone????

Some of these bees are dying in the window and I can't go in day in and day out to get them out. What if they keep getting in there. Do I just let them die? They are just sitting in the window until they die. Today its so hot that even the curtain isn't helping enough.

I think tonight we will have to move the hive down to the pond, but what if they find their way back to the workshop?

Jerrymac · June 20, 2008, 08:07:45 PM

If they have oriented to the shop you will have to move them a few miles away at night after getting them onto the box. You could sit the box close to the door(outside), leave the door open and blacken the window (cardboard, other) They will then find the box outside and go home. Or... find out how they are getting in and place the box close to that spot and plug up the opening so they can't get in.

Janemma · June 20, 2008, 09:15:41 PM

I can't move them several miles as we only have 16 acres so that isn't a possibility and unfortunately the workshop isn't the kind we can block up so there will always be ways they can get in - our pig has to have access through a stable style doorway at the opposite end of the workshop.

I've already blacked out the windows on the outside but this hasn't stopped the bees returning to the window.

I'm guessing there isn't much else I can do :(

Jerrymac · June 20, 2008, 09:23:43 PM

So the widow is totally dark? They should then be looking for away out. I have a small shed they sometimes go into scouting around. They will bounce around a window and then go for the door, and the windows are just clear glass. No blocking out.

JP · June 20, 2008, 09:25:59 PM

I'm not sure if I'm following you correctly, the bees are inside the workshop? The hive?

Put them outside, seal them at night and move the hive as far from there as possible, and put an entrance reducer on with some grass and a big branch in front of the hive so they will reorient.

You can paint the top later.

...JP

Jerrymac · June 20, 2008, 09:28:07 PM

So are they already building comb? I'm sure some of the foragers will find their way home and perhaps that will keep them going until more can be produced and out working. If you have another hive you could possibly put a frame of brood plus nurse bees in there with them. The new foragers won't be oriented to the shop.

Keep gathering the live ones and taking them back home when you can. They will soon get it.

Janemma · June 21, 2008, 01:48:06 PM

The hive was out by the vegetable garden....the bees just kept going back into the workshop to the window...we weren't sure why....not all of them - just enough to have me worried - and because of the heat we've been having many were dying. I was putting water there for them and was scooping some out and taking them back to the hive but still some were dying and I had a blackout curtain on the outside of the window but still some were dying.

Anyway last at 11pm when it finally got dark we scooped out the last of the bees from the workshop and put them in the hive and carried it down by my other hives by the pond which is away from the workshop. I will keep checking today to see if any have gone into the workshop. I was just so worried about constantly disturbing this new hive. The hive is still full of bees and yes they are building comb on the frams in the hive and it is still full of bees so it is doing well but the bees seem very agitated - but then they have been through a lot and and have been moved about so much and annoyed so much what with us constantly moving them from the swarm and then into the workshop because of the storm and then to the vegetable garden when they were put into the hive and then all the bees from the workshop window and now carried down to the pond.

Finally they can be left alone hopefully and I just have to hope they stop going into the workshop window.

It's a lovely healthy swarm and a big colony compared to my wo small packages that were Queenless for so long - so I am hopeful for them - they aren't too nice to be around right now though - is this typical for a new swarm - are they likely to calm down? I'm guessing its because they've been through so much but I know some bees can be aggressive.

I hope this is it and from today this hive will settle down.

JP · June 21, 2008, 05:02:05 PM

Quote from: Janemma on June 21, 2008, 01:48:06 PM
The hive was out by the vegetable garden....the bees just kept going back into the workshop to the window...we weren't sure why....not all of them - just enough to have me worried - and because of the heat we've been having many were dying. I was putting water there for them and was scooping some out and taking them back to the hive but still some were dying and I had a blackout curtain on the outside of the window but still some were dying.

Anyway last at 11pm when it finally got dark we scooped out the last of the bees from the workshop and put them in the hive and carried it down by my other hives by the pond which is away from the workshop. I will keep checking today to see if any have gone into the workshop. I was just so worried about constantly disturbing this new hive. The hive is still full of bees and yes they are building comb on the frames in the hive and it is still full of bees so it is doing well but the bees seem very agitated - but then they have been through a lot and and have been moved about so much and annoyed so much what with us constantly moving them from the swarm and then into the workshop because of the storm and then to the vegetable garden when they were put into the hive and then all the bees from the workshop window and now carried down to the pond.

Finally they can be left alone hopefully and I just have to hope they stop going into the workshop window.

It's a lovely healthy swarm and a big colony compared to my wo small packages that were Queenless for so long - so I am hopeful for them - they aren't too nice to be around right now though - is this typical for a new swarm - are they likely to calm down? I'm guessing its because they've been through so much but I know some bees can be aggressive.

I hope this is it and from today this hive will settle down.

I think you have it right, they have been through a lot. I would guess once things return to normalcy they will settle down, but keep an eye on their behavior, and good luck!

...JP