Late Mini Swarms???

alfred · October 05, 2010, 07:32:25 PM

Ok I am baffled both as to what is happenning and what to do about it.

I have had two sort of mini swarms in the last week since harvesting honey.

The first one I thought was just lost girls from all of the excitement that I caused when I did harvest. I found them in a tree near the empty supers. There was barely a handfull I assumed that they were simply disoriented because of the traumatic way I did my harvest. Won't do it that way again. I didn't see a queen but I didn't look hard. I simply gathered them off of the tree limb and dumped them out near the hives and the next day they were gone and assumed that they had found their way home and all was good......

Today however I sat on my hammock and watched as a very small swarm emerged from a hive and ultimatly came together on the fence. This was a swarm not any "lost and confused" bees. Again barely a hand full but complete with queen. I just got done gathering them up.

What the hey???? Why are they swarming now?? The only answer I can think of is that the hives just went from 6 mediums pre harvest to 3 meduims post harvest and the population pressure caused the swarming.... Any thoughts??

Also what should I do with this mini swarm I doubt that they can make it through the winter. Any thoughts??

Tommyt · October 05, 2010, 09:23:45 PM

Nice Day Potty Time
This From a Guy who has had Bees for 3 weeks
so "No" banking on it

JP · October 06, 2010, 12:27:55 AM

Bees have been swarming down here in Louisiana the last three weeks. I'm putting everything I get into nucs to give them any kind of chance to survive. All you really can do this time of year.

Bees will swarm if they are honey bound or congested this time of year and then there's always absconds due to critters and parasites and such.

A swarm in October is worth? :idunno:

...JP

alfred · October 06, 2010, 09:46:49 AM

Thanks JP,

Yea, I will try to build them up into one medium since I have no Nuc boxes. I have another hive that I am nursing along also a small swarm from earlier this year. So feed feed feed.

I have not done this before, wintering Nuc size colonies that is, not sure how they will winter without the requisite three mediums that my other hives have. I don't want to take resources from the other hives either. My other hives are doing ok but not so well that I can afford to take from them at this point.

Still open to thoughts.

Tommyt - What ? I have no idea what you are trying to say.

AllenF · October 06, 2010, 02:53:36 PM

A swarm in October is worth enough time to get sober.

That's the best I got.

L Daxon · October 06, 2010, 06:36:20 PM

Alfred,
I have a small swarm I hived about 3 weeks ago and am trying to nurse it along in an 8 medium. I took a couple frames of brood and honey from my real strong 3 mediums hive. But I noticed when I put a top feeder on the swarm hive, the stronger hive comes over and robs them. I think I am just going to feed the heck out of the strong hive that has the bigger numbers and let them store the syrup, then take some of it from them later for the swarm hive.

Actually, I also saved back a couple of frames of honey when I was processing as I caught the swarm the day before I processed and realized they might need the extra food. I am not as concerned that they will not have enough to eat as I am that they will not be able to keep themselves warm enough. I bought some hay bales today to put around the swarm hive during the winter to help insulate them. Also going to keep them right up against my brick house w/a southern exposure.

BEEMAN · October 07, 2010, 04:18:45 PM

Alfred
I had a swarm show up in an empty hive that I had sitting around in my yard about two week ago. I can tell from the type of bees that they are not from my hives. I checked them last week and they seem to be doing well even thought the swarm was a small one.
I also had a swarm show up in my citrus tree last Saturday. It was only about the size of a softball but I combined it with the first swarm that showed up in the empty hive. I checked the second swarm for a queen and could not find one so I combined them together. I have not yet checked the combined swarms. I will give them a little more time to settle down. I can not understand the small swarms at this time of the year either. I have caught swarms as late as the end of November in previous years, but they were medium to large size swarms. So far I have been able to keep them alive through the mild Louisiana winters. Last winter was horrible and the coldest in many years.