Hi Karen,
I generally say "don't fiddle with them for 3 days", partly because they
commonly have 3 days' food in their stomachs when they swarm.
That would mean tomorrow, but the weather looks les breezy on Wednesday so
I'd say then.
Long term: natural nests tend to have small entrances, but if this
accidental one is say only one bee in width, they will eventually
experience traffic jamming and probably seek other exits. But my impression
is - they only guard ones near the brood nest! (Ie near populated comb.)
And an entrance in a non standard position could lead to uninspectable,
distorted comb. So it's a good idea to block ones you don't need.
Paul
On Mon, 16 May 2022, 19:21 Karen Giles, <karen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks so much for the swarm Paul, just to update you I put them in late
on Saturday, around 9pm, there was no time for a walk in so they were
unceremoniously plonked in, it went very well, even the 4 stragglers in
their own box marched happily in, yesterday I was a bit worried as there
was a cluster on the opposite side of the tbh to the entrance, I’ve now
removed the wasp guard arrangement on the main entrance but on closer
inspection the majority are choosing to enter via what must be a tiny hole
between 2 bars on the other side! I wonder if it’s a knot hole as you can’t
really tell from the outside. (Im beginning to wonder if this was the cause
of my wasp problem last year also!)
I was of the mind to let them settle for at least a week but do you think
I should get in there to locate the hole and close it or can I just assume
once their numbers increase they will go with the lovely round drilled
holes I have provided them with?! Any suggestions welcome!
On another note Philippe was on country file last night, he’s such an
amazing bee ambassador!
Best
Karen
t: 07790 908144
e:karen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
