Rounding up maverick livestock! Free-bees!

[JW_Halverson]

Found several thousand unbranded head of livestock today and decided to lasso 'em and head 'em into the corrals! 



I just noticed now the bee in the lower corner of the box, caught her in flight with her wings blurring and her antennae spread out!  She rocks. I figure there were about 6 lbs of bees in this swarm.  At first I thought it was one of our hives that had swarmed and was about to abscond. I quickly checked all four of our hives and they were all in great shape.  If one of the hives split, it was because they were overcrowded!  I really think this is a hive from some local commercial keeper. 

I didn't have a hive to put them into, so they got a lid put on the tote and I put it in the shade.  I gored a hole in the side of the tote and left the lid partially propped open.  I had sprayed the bees down liberally with sugar water, both to cool them off and to give them something to eat while I went desperately searching for a hive body to steal/borrow/rent/buy/conjure/pull out of a hat. Six hours later I was back with a hive box and 10 frames, but no bottom board, no inside cover or top cover. 



That is what I micky-engineered.  3/4 inch plywood ripped in 1 inch strips to rest three of the four sides of the box on top of, leaving a nice gap in the front for bees to come and go.  The plywood top rests on the box, but has a little thin stick propping up one edge so that there is a little ventilation for heat to rise and escape.  Last photo shows them about an hour later clustered around the entrance, coming and going rapidly, busy as..well, bees!

[JW_Halverson]

Any beekeepers, commercial or hobbyist, wanna chime in and tell me what to do over the next few days to improve their odds of a successful re-hiving?

My main question is that I moved them about 50 yds from where I collected them.  I figure they were swarmed on that apple branch overnight.  They should not be centered on that location, should they?  I know the rule of thumb is always move a hive a minimum of 3 miles or they go back to the old hive location looking for home.

[bowtarist]

I dont think the 3 mile plan deals w swarms. They have left that hive...never to return. Don't think they'd be welcomed back if they did. Its got a whole new dynamic now.

I;d say get yourself an inside cover and a big rock and they should be fine for now. They are ready to build comb and all that right now. Are the frames drawn or foundation? Doesn't really matter, but they will draw the heck out of some foundation right now.  You've got time to get the hive set up fore winter. So I'd let them go... Hope you;re happy where they are though cuz they should stay there now. The 3 mile rule does apply here after a day or so. Shade is good.

A swarm in June is worth a tune...You should be whistling a happy one right now. nice work, dp

[bowtarist]

They are fanning, so they are happy there. Free bees are the best!!  That;s a gooder, dp

[JW_Halverson]

I was hoping that would be the case, Derik.  Anyway, it's a gooder for true!

I am going to make an inside cover, top cover, and a good bottom board, too.  Meanwhile, I have another hive body for when this one hits 70% full.  They are on foundation, and I bet they are going to go great guns very soon.  We are expecting a cooler and wetter than normal summer, so there should be good flowers all summer.  We are wrapped on three sides by alfalfa that did not get cut in time so it is in bloom. There is untold acreage of sweet clover 1.2 miles to the south...a long haul, maybe a bit too far for them. But lotsa good pasture within a one mile radius, nonetheless. 

[Stringman]

That's awesome! Happy for ya Jdub!

[iowabow]

Great work, to answer the question about how to keep them in that location....queen excluder between bottom board and hive body. Bees stay with queen. Maybe with the exception if your dealing with an intercaste queen.

[bowtarist]

Great work to answer the question about how to keep them in that location....queen excluder between bottom board and hive body. Bees stay with queen. Maybe with the exception if your dealing with an intercaste queen.

Yea, that will work, but the workers get worn wings quicker that way..IMO... They already only live about three weeks this time of year. I've done it, but don't recommend it unless absolutley needed. Again, JMO, dp

[JW_Halverson]

No telling what variety (varieties?) these bees are.  Once they are settled in and consider the new place "theirs", I am sure the queen's personality will come out.

Will she be a hot one?
Will she be gentle?
Will she be old and tired or a fresh new queen?

Come next spring, depending on how they have behaved and whether they survive the winter, we may replace her with a Russian queen.  Been deeply impressed with Russian bees ability to survive a SD winter and to store up honey.  My #4hive has the second honey super installed yesterday and #3 will be ready for a second one later this week. Busy busy.

[JW_Halverson]

Good sign, they are still in the new hive. Lotsa comings and goings, too.

[iowabow]

Great work to answer the question about how to keep them in that location....queen excluder between bottom board and hive body. Bees stay with queen. Maybe with the exception if your dealing with an intercaste queen.

Yea, that will work, but the workers get worn wings quicker that way..IMO... They already only live about three weeks this time of year. I've done it, but don't recommend it unless absolutley needed. Again, JMO, dp

True but he would only need to use it till they settled in. Sounds like that is already happening anyway.

[JW_Halverson]

I had been thinking of having a hive set up and ready to go in case a swarm happened to come by...

Guess it was a better idea than I gave it credit. If I had a hive set up, I would have saved 5 hours and over 80 miles of driving trying to locate a spare hive body to dump the swarm into.  They are still hanging around this morning.  But I am thinking of moving this hive a couple miles east to the middle of a 700 acre pasture that is waist high in blooming sweet clover.  I got permission from the landowner late last night.  I think I want them to become a little more settled in to the hive structure before I move them around, though. 

What do the rest of you beekeepers think?

[Poggins]

I'd put them on the sweet clover , keep an eye on them and be sure they have plenty of frames to build on , new swarms that size can fill two brood boxes quick and go into the winter strong .
I'd give the queen a couple weeks and then check her brood pattern , if she is laying good and building their numbers fast I'd leave her till spring and check her again , if she slows down I'd replace her .
Feed them also , they will build comb faster , if they fill two hive bodies and still want to build comb give them a super or two , that will give you a head start on winter stores for the hive and a head start on honey production next year .

I've been playing that broken record the last couple weeks , pull a super of honey extract it replace and repeat the next day or so ( did take a break over the weekend and went to our bow clubs members campout and shot a few arrows sold some honey and a couple osage staves ). I figure I have at least two weeks left and my honey season will be over , clover is about finished .

[iowabow]

You paid nothing for this find so you will not lose out on anything...I would go for it and put them on clover.

[Will Tell]

A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon. Looks like perfect timing if you can believe Mother Goose.lol