Meanwhile, the top bar hive is still in my carport and not where it is supposed to be at my daughter Valerie's house. At intermission at the symphony, I called Valerie and Jeff and told them that they needed to get the hive to their house. Jeff went at 10:00 PM after his class and took the hive legs off to transport it to his house.
The next morning Gina calls me so excited about these bees. It's a huge swarm and they have captured it by hanging a nuc box in a tree. Before the crack of dawn,Gina in her p.j.s, and Phillip in his apron, climbed up and retrieved the box.
I needed to get the swarm installed before picking up my grandchildren at 8:30. I drove to Valerie's house to find the top bar hive waiting for me.
The cardboard nuc box is sitting on the ground waiting to enter the new home for the bees.
Phillip had guessed this was a 4 - 5 pound swarm. When I opened the box it was totally filled with bees. 
I dumped the box in and the bees didn't go to the screened bottom. They didn't look particularly comfortable and I was stung four times in the process - once on my finger, three times on my leg (they went up my pants leg). I also had a bee inside my veil the whole time.
I returned Gina's nuc box to her and just wanted to cry. It was such a great swarm and she was so sweet to give it to me. I hope she'll get another and keep it for herself.
I don't know why they left.
Hypotheses:
- The hive is brand new and smells new. Next time, maybe I'll drop some old comb in the bottom of the hive. I smeared homemade swarm lure on the follower boards, but that didn't do the trick
- I didn't have every top bar on the hive - maybe it didn't feel enough like a horizontal tree trunk to them
- Maybe the screened bottom makes the hive have too much light - especially standing on legs as it does.
- Put all the top bars on the hive
- Drop some old comb in the bottom of the screen
- Take off the legs and lower the hive to sit on cinder blocks, thereby creating a darker space....or add a bottom board.
I assume the bees have distressing emotions aroused by impending danger.
ReplyDeleteThey have react accordingly.
Linda
ReplyDeleteI noticed you said the bees pushed open the top bars to get out. Did you have the entrance closed up?? I will be doing the same thing in 2 weeks when the package of bees arrives to be placed into a TBH. So I was wondering if the protocol is to close up the entrance for some period of time when hiving them?
Please let me know is you can.
Thanks
Annette from Placerville California
Annette,
ReplyDeleteSome TBH keepers use a queen excluder to keep the queen in for the first week. I used a regular entrance reducer and that was enough.
The best thing to do, especially if you're starting w/a pkg, is have honey and comb that is ready-to-use in the hive. Package bees aren't bonded to each other, but if you stock the pantry and give the queen a place to lay right away, they will usually stay put.
Linda -
ReplyDeleteI had the same thing happen with my TBH.
I think the bees perceive the Screened bottom to be "indefensible" and move to a "safer" darker space.
I closed up my TBH screened bottom with a piece of wood hung on L hangers pressed up under the hive for about the first 3 weeks of the second swarm's install. Then I lowered the brackets to have the board about 1.5" below the screen for the rest of the summer.
Best,
-Erin Forbes