# Swarm After Split?



## BoonROTO (Apr 24, 2014)

About a week ago I noticed a hive had swarm cells nearly capped. I took the queen and three frames of brood and bees and placed them in a nuke. Today I went to the bee yard after work for a quick check and noticed a swarm had gathered about 40 feet from the hive that I split about a week ago. I shook them into a nuke and gave them a frame of brood to try and anchor them. I plan on looking for a queen in a couple of days. I looked in the hive that they swarmed from and noticed only one queen cell had hatched so I destroyed all remaining swarm cells but two. In the process I noticed a virgin queen running around. My questions, what are the chances the parent hive swarms again and do you believe the swarm I caught has a virgin queen or no queen at all? Thanks


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

You can bet it has a queen. If you know you had a virgin the cells are surplus. In bad swarm years when i see hives gearing up to find a tree, i some times split them four ways and recombine for the main flow. It is a way in situations similiar to yours, to cut ones losses.


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## rwlaw (May 4, 2009)

Ya, if a hive is in a swarm mode, it can cast after swarms. Sometimes it'll cripple itself doing so.


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## gezellig (Jun 11, 2014)

I had to split one three ways the other day, and I had already split it once two weeks ago. Split the queen and no queen cells to one nuc, two very nice capped left in original and several uncapped but nearly capped to another nuc. And our flow is on, so I hated to do so. But if not, they were going to the trees. I had wondered if I might could recombine a couple. I guess you pick the best queen, and dispatch the less than desirable?


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

gezellig said:


> I( stuff left out(... I guess you pick the best queen, and dispatch the less than desirable?


Or store them in tiny colonies "just in case".
CE


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