# Cutout hive absconded



## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

A friend and I have done about 15 cutouts and have built hives with each, but a few days ago a large hive built from a cutout just a few days before absconded, we have never seen this before. There was a lot of dead larva, the larva I rubberbanded into frames just like every time before. It was a very warm day so I don't think they chilled, I do not know if they left after the brood died or if the brood died because they left. I didn't give them any honey so perhaps they freeked at the thought of no food? This has never seemed to be a problem before. We even saw the Queen when we hived them so we know we got her, but she never started laying in our box, but they did start to make comb.

Any idea's why they may have absconded? Is this common in cutouts and we have just been lucky?


Wayne


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## standman (Mar 14, 2008)

Wayne, I have never had that happen with a cut-out. I have lost a swarm once, the only one I ever did not put a queen excluder under. But that is usually not a problem with cut-outs because they have brood and some food. It seems unusual to me that the queen was small enough to fly that quickly. Could they have been preparing to swarm already? Sorry for your loss.


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## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

I had a cout out flee once, but they went to a tree across the street and were easily capped and returned to their new home...they were not a problem after that.

C2


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

standman said:


> It seems unusual to me that the queen was small enough to fly that quickly. Could they have been preparing to swarm already? Sorry for your loss.


Ya, I think you are right, we even noticed she was small when we saw her. crap


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## baldwinbees (Mar 2, 2010)

I caught a swarm 4x in as many days.Used brood&piece of excluder.4th time I put a piece of wire in front of the entrance for a cpl days.Had a religous colony 1 time.Got them out the church&hived.Left the hive overnite,came back next day&they were in another place in the cornice.Guess they were planning on swarming 'cause the queen was definately flying.Watched her land&go in the super


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## 100 td (Apr 3, 2011)

Is it worth clipping the wings of the queen?


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

100 td said:


> Is it worth clipping the wings of the queen?


We did another huge cutout, the biggest we have ever done, at least four 8' long combs in the wall of an old garage. Put them in a hive and did indeed clip the queens wings when we found her. :thumbsup:

I am planning on raising a few queens off her, the hive survived at least 3 Michigan winters with no heated walls to help. The amount of bees and brood was unreal, I filled 6 frames with brood :applause: If her off-spring do as well as her I will be a very happy beek


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## brobers (Nov 14, 2009)

Batman said:


> I had a cout out flee once, but they went to a tree across the street and were easily capped and returned to their new home...they were not a problem after that.


I had the same thing with a cutout done this time last year. Cutout on Wednesday, brought home on Saturday (several miles away), and they all took off on Monday. The problem I had (I think) was they way I handled the comb when I put it in the new hive. Once they took off I hived them in a nuc went back to the original and fixed the comb. Then I took them out of the nuc and put them back in the original hive. They stayed there until they died this spring. I almost thought they might make it. Now I have a cutout to do next Monday morning. Hopefully things go smooth and we get everyone into the hive and they make it through the winter. I had hoped to get them out in May but the didn't call me back in to do the job until now.


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

Cutouts this late are something I ry to avoid, I have 4 or 5 I am waiting till spring to do. 60 lbs of fondant costs about $50, very close to the cost of a package in the spring. I would try to frame up as much of their honey as possable, not just brood. I have 9 late split and cutout hives that will all need feed this winter, some more than others.


Wayne


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## reneal (Sep 6, 2006)

I also try to avoid cutouts this late in the year. The only one I've had abscond was one done in early Sept. They only stayed in my box for a day or so and were gone. I assumed that they didn't have much brood & were so upset about having their home remodeled that late in the season that they just left in disgust.


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