# Hive in gas tank



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

You should have all frames in the hive now, after shaking in the bees from the tank and after cleaning out the bottom board. Keep feeding sugar water about at quart a day until they get all the frames drawn with comb. Check them in a week and look for new eggs to be sure you have the queen. If you don't have the queen, then you should see queen cells started, if you got any comb with eggs/young larva doing the cut out. If you don't see any eggs and you don't see any queen cells, then you may have to re-evaluate the situation with possibly needing to purchase a queen or a frame of eggs to give them. When you check in a week, you might want to clean off that bottom board again, it'll probably be a mess again by then. Good luck.


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## BSracer (Apr 17, 2016)

Thanks RayMarler for the advice
Checked on them today. 90% have flown the coop. The remainder were in small groups on some of the comb I hung in the new hive. I feed the remainder a quart of SW. It was gone in 3 hours. As I watched the feeding some flew by me. I looked around and found a swarm 30 yards away hanging from a large branch about 10' off the ground.

Do I right away try to brush this swarm into a new sealed hive and feed from within?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Yes, go grab them and put in a box with frames or combs. You probably did not have the queen, so they swarmed out and are hanging on that tree branch. Don't seal the hive up. if you get the queen, they usually stay. Putting a syrup feeder on them helps hold them in place. Good luck!


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## BSracer (Apr 17, 2016)

OK I think I was successful. Yesterday I moved the swarm back into my hive. I realized I did not have the feeder placed on the hive correctly and it is lasting much longer. I moved the existing comb I had from the fuel tank to the outer edges of the hive with 4 frames with foundation and one blank frame in the center after shaking the swarm into the box. Probably not right but hoping to get new comb on the foundation. Thinking I can cycle the old comb out. Will the hive concentrate on creating brood first. When should I think about adding another layer of frames? I should leave them along for at least 3 day before opening for an inspection?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I think you did just fine setting this one up. 
Yes the old comb can be cycled out at a later time.
Yes, they will concentrate on getting brood going right away.
Yes, wait 3 days or longer to mess with them, I myself would wait closer to a week.
Add a box of new frames when the have the existing box all being used, and move two frames up into the center of the new box you add as bait frames to get them up and using it without swarming.

Are you pretty sure you have the queen in there this time?
Are the actions of the bees at the entrance a little different this time, indicating you have the queen?


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## BSracer (Apr 17, 2016)

RayMarler said:


> Are you pretty sure you have the queen in there this time?
> If the queen was in the swarm I boxed from the tree I think so because they did not regroup back at the tree
> Are the actions of the bees at the entrance a little different this time, indicating you have the queen?


At first they were more interested in the smell of SW at the outside of the box, 







now a day later they are not on the out side buzzing and there are 6 or 10 at the small entrance.
Did not take a pic today


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Entrance feeders mess up the whole thing. Be on the watch for ants when using it, and they are known to help promote robbing of hives as the bees in the hive can not defend it well. I suggest moving that jar up on top of the combs in the box inside an empty bee box with lid on it. That puts it above the bees nest and inside the hive where robbing won't be as big of a concern. Feeders that work from inside they hive, not stuck at the entrance, are the best to use, so that you can also use an entrance reducer and a robber screen if needed.


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## BSracer (Apr 17, 2016)

Mr Marler, Thanks you for all you help.

Visited the hive today, The feeder was empty,(3 days) I refiled it. Had to look! The bees were packed working on the old comb, with no work on the new frames. Will let them alone for a while.

There was a small swarm near the last swarm location. (1/3 in size) Should I try to join these with the others, Or is there a chance they could work in a different hive? I have one on order. There is no chance there are 2 queens. 

I wish now I spent more time looking for a queen in the hive. Rookie mistake I guess.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

That looks like a nice way to set up the entrance reducer with a front boardman feeder. They should do OK with that setup. 

As far as the new ball of bees in the tree, it could be a new swarm that flew in. It could be lost workers from the cutout swarm retrieval you did. Can't say from here what to do about it. Maybe put it in a new hive box, that would work if they are a new swarm with a queen. If they are queenless, you could try shaking them into the hive you have now. Hard to say from here without seeing the situation myself. If you just leave them be then they'll figure out what to do on their own. If queenless, they may slowly beg into and join your hive.


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