That all makes very good sense Gareth, thank you.
Ann
On 28/04/2019 18:43, Gareth John
Just a comment on the subject of feeding swarms:
A swarm carries 3 or 4 days of stores with it. The bees are unable to forage for more nectar until they empty their honey stomachs and to do this they need to build comb. The building of the comb itself uses a lot of their onboard stores, but maybe not all. The balance is deposited in the new comb. This stored nectar/honey is generally used up quite quickly as the bees build more comb, which in turn is used to hold more nectar as it comes in and, importantly, brood.
The point about feeding is that in the normal situation all the onboard stores get used before any larvae need to be fed. This is important because any brood disease that has come with the swarm in the onboard stores will not then get passed on to the new larvae. However, if one feeds a swarm before all their onboard stores are used up, some of these stores will later get used to feed larvae, thus allowing the onward transfer of any brood disease. In other words, *NOT feeding a swarm is an important disease control mechanism*.
That said, if a swarm has been out in the cold for several days or the weather is /continuously/ wet for several days after a swarm is hived, it may be helpful to feed /small /amounts of syrup during the evenings for just a few days. By small amounts I mean a small wineglass per evening, no more. This minimises the chance of onboard stores remaining long enough to be cause a problem whilst ensuring the swarm has sufficient food to get a good start.
Gareth
On 28 Apr 2019, at 16:10, Kerry Dawson <kerrydawson99@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:kerrydawson99@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Thank you Ann, I agree, why delay, unless they seem agitated or the weather has turned. But good to have some advice if a delay is unavoidable.
I have my hive ready. It's preserved on the outside with beeswax and linseed oil and on the inside it smells of lemongrass. But I have a bit of spare pure beeswax, so I'll melt it and smear a bit of it on the inside surfaces.
Eagerly awaiting bees,
Kerry
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*From:* oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of Ann Welch <ann.welch123@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:ann.welch123@xxxxxxxxx>>
*Sent:* Sunday, April 28, 2019 3:50:25 PM
*To:* oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [oxnatbees] Re: Swarm Box
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
