closing bees in a hive?

chad · May 08, 2009, 08:25:54 AM

Hi, I removed a hive of bees from a tree wensday.I put their comb in frames in my beehive box with a super on top.then I put my catchbox(bee vac) on top.I put a queen excluder on.I closed the entrance on the hive so the bees couldn't leave.When I got home there were bees all over the outside of the box.I took the board off the entrance thinking they were all tyring to get in.lots of bees swarmed out of the hive,there was a cloud of bees.finaly they settled in a orange tree 20 feet away,about 4 foot off the ground.I vaced them right back into the hive with a 30 foot hose.Then I closed the hive so they cant get out.How log should I leave it closed.Right now there is a small swarm about the size of a baseball in the top of the tree.Also I removed these bees from a tree about 1 mile away.Thanks for any help.-Chad

Doby45 · May 08, 2009, 02:37:43 PM

Put a little lemongrass oil in the hive that your trying to keep your swarm in. Like a drop or two.

tshnc01 · May 08, 2009, 04:17:52 PM

Chad,

I have the same basic question. I just captured a swarm a couple of hours ago and have it locked down in my swarm catcher box, but the workers can come and go through a queen excluder. I do have several frames of empty comb in the box as well.

...Tim

G3farms · May 08, 2009, 10:29:11 PM

when you locked them in the box did they have any ventilation?, just woundering if they got too hot.

G3

CBEE · May 09, 2009, 12:10:09 PM

Hard to say. Must have been something about the setup they didn't like. I have not had that problem with any of my swarms but I have not caught that many either. The one I got the other day I shook into my high tech 5 gallon bucket :-D brought them home and put them into medium with drawn comb and a couple drops of lemongrass oil. I did not block the entrance but did reduce it and had no problem at all other than needing more supers now :-D
Maybe our resident swarm king will chime in and give you something better to go on

chad · May 09, 2009, 05:28:32 PM

Well I let the bees out the next morning.They were not real happy.Right now there are allot bearded up on the front of the hive.They are still a little agitated.I cant take my bee-vac off the top yet because they haven't all moved down into the boxes.

Brian D. Bray · May 10, 2009, 03:07:22 AM

1. They don't like the new home, somebody forgot to hang curtins over the kitchen window. :lol:
2. Use of the excluder on the bottom will keep the queen in but putting one on now will let the queen escape.
3. Are you using screen for closing up the hive, a hive that gets to hot inside will have the combs melt and the heat, alone, can kill the bees, the hive must have some ventilation.
4. Using a frame of brood and/or honey will make the home more inviting.
5. Removing bees from trees and buildings are called cutouts because the existing combs are cut out and fitted into the empty frames of the hive. This saves the brood and helps keep the bees in their new home.
6. Char the inside of the hive body with a propane torch. For some reason bees of any sort, but especially feral bees seem to prefer homes with burnt wood. I think it's because of lot of feral hive locations are a result of broken branch knots being burnt out on trees during forest fires and thereby gives bees a home.
7. Feral hives will swarm or abscond rather than work plastic foundation. When working with bees from feral sources us wood and wax frames.

patook · May 10, 2009, 03:20:04 AM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 10, 2009, 03:07:22 AM
6. Char the inside of the hive body with a propane torch. For some reason bees of any sort, but especially feral bees seem to prefer homes with burnt wood. I think it's because of lot of feral hive locations are a result of broken branch knots being burnt out on trees during forest fires and thereby gives bees a home.
7. Feral hives will swarm or abscond rather than work plastic foundation. When working with bees from feral sources us wood and wax frames.

Wow, great advice Brian!! That explains a lot about why I am having a hard time keeping my feral swarm in my hive.

chad · May 10, 2009, 11:34:57 AM

thanks Brian,They have ventilation.Screened bottomboard and screens over openings on bee-vac.I did tie 5 frames of comb and brood into wood frames.All frames are wood.The super is all wax foundation.The brood box is half tied comb from the tree and half wax coated plastic cell.I put in a metal queen excluder before I put the bees in.