i caught a swarm so now what?

rober · April 17, 2012, 12:15:11 PM

a lot of questions here.....i went back this morning & there are still some bees there . there were a lot of bees in or on the nuc, a few flying, & a few were still on the tree. could this be a sign that the queen is still there? i talked to the owner & he is ok with me leaving the nuc there til after dark tonight. OR should i go back sooner?
the bulk of the swarm is in the hive & unlike the 1st this one stayed put. i'm going to go thru it a bit later to look for the queen. so here are some questions:
should i put some syrup on them?
they have one but should i add another frame of brood?
if i have the queen how long til i see some brood?
if i missed the queen will they requeen themselves?

AllenF · April 17, 2012, 12:42:29 PM

Those are the lost bees. Bees that were out looking and came back and the swarm was gone. You can box them and dump them in front of a hive or just leave them there. It is a small percentage of the swarm that gets lost.

rober · April 17, 2012, 12:48:18 PM

what should i be doing with the main swarm that is now in my hive.

G3farms · April 17, 2012, 12:50:36 PM

I would wait on going through the hive too soon, I like to give them a minimum of three days before disturbing them, sometimes it will make them abscond.

Feed them syrup...........you bet!

I would wait an another frame of brood for a couple of days, let them settle in.

If you got the queen give her a week maybe even two to start laying
If you missed her yes they will raise a new queen if they have eggs to do it with.

rober · April 17, 2012, 12:56:25 PM

so if there is no brood in 2-3 weeks give them some new brood to raise a queen?

G3farms · April 17, 2012, 12:59:14 PM

brood with eggs

iddee · April 17, 2012, 07:52:47 PM

Why look for the queen. Leave them alone for a week and look for eggs. If no eggs in 7 days, add a frame with eggs.

CBEE · April 18, 2012, 09:30:20 AM

A week without a queen and they will usually let you know when you pop the top that they aint happy :-D

mrchevy3 · April 18, 2012, 02:50:48 PM

Quote from: G3farms on April 17, 2012, 12:50:36 PM
I would wait on going through the hive too soon, I like to give them a minimum of three days before disturbing them, sometimes it will make them abscond.

Feed them syrup...........you bet!

I would wait an another frame of brood for a couple of days, let them settle in.

If you got the queen give her a week maybe even two to start laying
If you missed her yes they will raise a new queen if they have eggs to do it with.

Do you always feed swarms that you caught, I have a hive box with foundation only no drawn comb.

CBEE · April 18, 2012, 04:29:43 PM

Should you feed a swarm ?
If there is no flow then yes. They need all they can get to build up.
If there is a good flow going on then I say no. They probably wont pay any attention to it.
If you have no clue then its not going to hurt to put some feed on and see if they take any and watch what they do.

G3farms · April 18, 2012, 07:37:28 PM

I usually always give a swarm a quart or two just to kick start them. I just feel it also helps to anchor them.

mrchevy3 · May 02, 2012, 11:52:00 AM

Quote from: CBEE on April 18, 2012, 04:29:43 PM
Should you feed a swarm ?
If there is no flow then yes. They need all they can get to build up.
If there is a good flow going on then I say no. They probably wont pay any attention to it.
If you have no clue then its not going to hurt to put some feed on and see if they take any and watch what they do.

Thanks for the info I fed the swarm and they have stayed put in the hive!

Kathyp · May 02, 2012, 12:36:40 PM

i always feed too. first, our weather is so crappy sometimes that they are not going to get out a forage. second, i too feel that it anchors them. there is no harm in it.