The only comment I'd like to add Kerry is that "personally" I would not
wish to leave a swarm in any kind of temporary box, even a nucleus box.
In my experience (and I know that's not a massive amount of data) bees
don't always build comb where you would like them to, even if you were
to give them a few bars to work on. We're all busy and it's easy to
leave them in a temporary home just that bit longer than you would
ideally like and if they cross comb then it gives you a headache dealing
with that. It's also unnecessary if you have a hive ready and waiting so
why give yourself ANY potential problems if you don't need to. If your
hive is a brand new one, then I like to paint the inside of the wood
with beeswax to make it feel like home. New wood and glue can make them
reconsider your offer !
Hope that's of some help but as they say in beekeeping, as three
beekeepers a question and you'll get three different answers lol. It
doesn't mean some are wrong though, it just means there's more than one
way to skin a cat .... or hive a colony lol.... sorry for all the
cliches ha ha.
Good luck
Ann
On 28/04/2019 08:00, Kerry Dawson wrote:
Hi, I'd like some advice /clarification about the time between capture of a swarm and introduction to the hive (tbh in my case). Accepting that weather conditions will have an impact, how long should / can the bees be kept in a swarm box and should they be allowed to fly during this period? I've come across videos where the swarm box had some bars added, to get the bees building comb, which is then transferred to the tbh a week or so later. With this method, the bees are flying in and out of the swarm box, which is positioned close to the intended hive. However, I will likely receive a swarm in a cardboard box, so I'd like to know the method to use here. My impression, from what I have read, is that the bees are not given an opportunity to fly. Have I misunderstood this?
Thank you for any advice.
Kerry
