Newbie swarm questions

[skflyfish]

This is my first year as a beekeeper. The fellow who helped me get started is in his second year, so it is like the nearly blind leading the blind.  :)

Up to the third week of June, the hive didn't seem that active and it was slowing working on the two deep hive bodies I had on it. I went on vacation the last week of June and just before then I put on 2 medium honey supers. There was little activity on them just before I left. When I got back every frame had lots of activity. The following week it seemed that the number of bees were exploding so I ordered two more honey supers from Dadant. (The hive is in a Basswood grove) When they arrived I quickly put one together.

As I was walking out with the new super nearly the whole hive seemed to be flying about. What I feared from overcrowding was happening.

Fortunately the swarm landed on a board just 10 feet from the hive and it was high enough and open enough to put a hive body underneath it. My friend came over to help. Fearing crushing the queen or some workers we used twigs and hands to scoup the bees off the board and into the hive body. All seemed well and we put the cover on the hive body and left.

The original hive seemed pretty low in bees. When I came back an hour later the new hive body with the swarm was completely empty and the number of bees in the original hive seemed close to normal again.

I have added more honey supers (now 4) to the original hive and left the spare hive body near the original hive.

My questions are:

Is there something I could have done to better handle the swarm?

Also there seem to be a lot of drones going out for flights in the afternoon lately. They return, but I don't remember them in my earlier observations. Is the hive getting ready to swarm again?

I have not looked for a queen in the original hive since the swarm started. I am trying not to interfere with them as much as possible and have only smoked them twice since I started this spring.

Thanks for helping a newbie!

Jay

[Mici]

My questions are:

a)Is there something I could have done to better handle the swarm?

b)Also there seem to be a lot of drones going out for flights in the afternoon lately. They return, but I don't remember them in my earlier observations. Is the hive getting ready to swarm again?

c)  I have not looked for a queen in the original hive since the swarm started. I am trying not to interfere with them as much as possible and have only smoked them twice since I started this spring.

Thanks for helping a newbie!

Jay

a)
if what you say is true, you 2 probably succeded in destroying the queen, although...i haven0t heard of similar situations. usually, even though people crush the queen, swarm acts as if nothing happened, but if it's true, that the old hive has normal activity...that would be my guess
and yes, you could have handeled the swarm better, some people enclose them (with wire of course, so they don't suffocate) and put them in a cool room (basement) for 3 days, so they spend the food they have in their stomachs, they will much less likely leave when hived. this can be done ONLY if you are sure the swarmed occured that day, if it occured a day before, the 3rd (which is actually the 4th day for the swarm) days all of bees might be dead.
but it's easyer to put in a frame of brood, bees are reluctant in leaving brood.

b)number of flying drones has little to do with swarming, almost nothing, except for the part, they mate with the young queen.
now..the swarm either left or returned without the queen. which doesn't really matter. the hive could swarm again. but...i won't write why, just check the last 10 treads in this forum, look for the swarm related ones. i wrote why it happenes.

c) is not really a question:)

[skflyfish]

Thank you for your reply Mici!