small swarm question

[rober]

caught a swarm yesterday about the size of a softball. it's in a nuc for now. if i check it & there is no queen do i need to put it in a hive body & do a newspaper combo? OR if i just shake them out in the apiary will they find homes in the other hives there?

[Moots]

I'm thinking either of those should work...

[10framer]

i'd probably just do the shake out.

[rober]

if i shook them into a hive there'd probably be a battle eh? when i install a swarm into a hive i put an empty hive body on top of the hive to act as a funnel. after they've settled down i take the empty box off & add the inner cover & replace the outer cover. what if i put an empty hive body on top of an inner cover & added the bees that way?

[10framer]

if there's a flow on they can probably get in a hive without much of a fight.  don't shake them into the hive, shake them in front of it.

[rober]

no sign of a queen so i shook them out into the yard. they really became attched to that nuc overnight. they do not want to leave it so i put it on top of the hive that could use a few more bees.

[Kathyp]

a swarm that size may well have been an after swarm with a virgin queen.  i would have given them a little time.  you can always combine later or shake out.  you have a long season, so a newly mated queen has plenty of time to catch up.

but...

[rober]

oh well.....when i opened the nuc the swarm looked smaller than when on the tree. i'd have to down grade them to baseball size. i looked pretty good & in that small of a wad of bees the queen is usually easier to spot, tho i still could have missed her. the hive that i put the nuc is on top of is queenless. if there was a queen maybe she'll find her way into that hive.
just got a call so i'm off after another swarm.

[sc-bee]

If the hive you put it on top of is queenless, that makes all the difference in the world :-D Now wait to see if you had a queen or virgin queen.