Swarm in backyard video.

[alfred]

Here is a video of a swarm that came out of one of my hives in the backyard on the 9th of June. They didn't like the baited hive that I set up weeks ago even though it had comb and lemongrass in it. But at least they did like the underside and I was able to collect them before they took off.

I checked in on them yesterday and saw no queen or brood. I figure that they are queenless. I just happen to be in the process of creating some splits out of emergency queens that I got by making another hive queenless. I think that today or tomorrow I will put a couple of those queen cells in with this colony.

Alfred

Swarm June 2011

[BeeMaster2]

Nice Video, Thanks for sharing it.
Jim

[alfred]

So I am thinking on my bee math that if the queen emerged around the time that they swarmed that it would be sometime after tomorrow that I could expect to see her begin laying?

swarm/emergence on the 9th
+ 12 days from emerge till laying
= 21st.

So maybe there is still a queen in that hive that swarmed?


On the other hand the swarm itself would have had the old queen in it and I should have already seen eggs and /or larvae in that hive... Right?

[L Daxon]

Yes, it would have been the old queen who left with that swarm. If you put the swarm on drawn comb, she could have begun laying right away.  Otherwise she would have to wait for the swarm to draw her out some comb, but that might not have taken more than a couple days.  She doesn't wait for the entire frame to be drawn out, just cells deep enough for her to drop the eggs in.

The new queen(s) probably hadn't even emerged in the original hive when the swarm left. It could take a couple of weeks for the new queen to emerge, take a mating flight and then begin laying.  She could be laying by now, but don't be worried if she is not.

ld

[AllenF]

Cool video.   I like the lattice shape in the swarm.   

[Boom Buzz]

Thanks for sharing the video Alfred!  I have yet to see a swarm on the move in person, so video is the next best thing.  BTW I am just down the road from you in Longmont.

Cheers!  John