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IanT
Guard Bee
Joined: 21 Feb 2014
Posts: 51
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
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 Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:16 pm Post subject: Caught swarm into TBH |
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Sooo, I got a call about a swarm yesterday (June 28th) and nabbed it I used a Lang deep with a few bars from TBH across the top as the capture box. I am planning on populating my empty and waiting TBH. This is the first bee population in the TBH. My plan is to confirm they will stay around and to allow them to build out comb on the top bars in the Lang and then transfer the top bars into the THB. Pretty standard...but how long do I wait to do the transfer?
Interesting side notes about this swarm. It was on the ground, Just completely on the ground, AND the queen was marked. Weird, eh? |
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biobee
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 1059
Location: UK, England, S. Devon
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:45 pm Post subject: Re: Caught swarm into TBH |
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| IanT wrote: | | My plan is to confirm they will stay around and to allow them to build out comb on the top bars in the Lang and then transfer the top bars into the THB. Pretty standard...but how long do I wait to do the transfer? |
I would leave them there for a week so they can build some comb. They are much less likely to abscond, and you can check for open brood as you do the transfer.
| IanT wrote: | | Interesting side notes about this swarm. It was on the ground, Just completely on the ground, AND the queen was marked. Weird, eh? |
They came from a hive owned by a beekeeper who marks his queens, or it is an absconding package with a marked queen. The queen may have not quite reached her target flying weight, by the sound of it. |
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Dexter's shed
Scout Bee
Joined: 16 May 2014
Posts: 307
Location: Grays, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:06 pm Post subject: Re: Caught swarm into TBH |
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| biobee wrote: |
They came from a hive owned by a beekeeper who marks his queens, or it is an absconding package with a marked queen. The queen may have not quite reached her target flying weight, by the sound of it. |
or the queen was clipped, and therefore didn't fly far from home
a prime swarm I picked up, had built comb on 5 wax starter strips, and the queen had started laying within 7 days |
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IanT
Guard Bee
Joined: 21 Feb 2014
Posts: 51
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Would this suggest the queen is not a virgin queen? |
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IanT
Guard Bee
Joined: 21 Feb 2014
Posts: 51
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Hmmm, so if this is an absconding package they will not be full of honey like a swarm, yeah? So should I feed them to be safe? It is kinda late to be starting from scratch for this area, in order for them to be totally ready for winter. I would not necessarily start feeding a swarm immediately, as they have hone in their tummies, but if there is a chance they are an absconded package, perhaps I should. |
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johno
Guard Bee
Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Posts: 60
Location: Limerick, Ireland
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| IanT wrote: | | Would this suggest the queen is not a virgin queen? |
AFAIK, people do not mark princesses. Some people say that it reduces the chances of them being mated. Of course somebody could still mark a princess, if they thought she had been mated.
So, yes, if she is marked, it suggests she's not a virgin. |
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biobee
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 1059
Location: UK, England, S. Devon
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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Feed, to be on the safe side.
I have never heard of anyone marking a virgin queen - that would be foolish in the extreme, as it would make her more visible to insectivorous birds during her mating flight! |
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IanT
Guard Bee
Joined: 21 Feb 2014
Posts: 51
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
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| Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| These ladies are really doin' great/ A very active hive. They have comb started for sure. I was thinking about transferring from the hive body I boxed the swarm in to the TBH on Friday. Just so happens that Friday morning will be on the cool side (53 F). Should I do it in the morning or should I wait until it warms a bit? I figure on one had they will not be as active. On the other, I do not want to harm and newly laid eggs / brood with cool temps. If I work quickly, perhaps that wont be problem. Never placed a swarm into a TBH so, I am not sure. |
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AugustC
Silver Bee
Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 613
Location: Malton, North Yorkshire
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:52 am Post subject: |
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| If possible move all the bars together or as many as you safely can. I move 3 or 4 in a block it is less disruptive and leaves the brood covered in bees. If you are confident two empty topbar could be used (one at each end) to move all the bars in one go leaving the cluster intact. |
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