# swarm questions



## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

When you catch a swarm, if you put it in a hive or a nuc on site and leave them there until after dark, you should get nearly all the bees. I would suggest that you go to youtube and watch all the videos posted by "jpthebeeman". -james


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Watching all of JP's videos could take hours!!!  But some very interesting, educational, and entertaining videos!!! 

Ed


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## kevinva (Apr 21, 2008)

If it's not a lot of bees and the rest of your bees stayed put, most likely you got the queen. Check for eggs in a week. Put some syrup on for the first week. I even throw pollen patties on mine for a week.

It's pretty late for a swarm to make it through winter.

A late swarm to me gives me three options.

1. Use it as a frame builder and let them die off this winter. I label all my frames by year when I put them in a hive. When they are 5 years old or older I burn them and replace. So I use a late swarm to build out new frames and I will use those frames next year to replace old ones.

2. I am experimenting this year by taking some of my smaller hives and replacing the queens with queens I made this year. Then splitting a hive body in two and making two 5 frame nucs. I will feed them heavy and try to get 30lbs in the hive before winter. I will place them on top of a strong hive with a double screen in between and see if I can get them to over winter. There is a guy in Vermont that does this with 400+ hives a year.

3. Kill the queen. Let them sit queenless for a couple days. Pick a hive that's a little week and put this hive on top of your other hive using the newspaper method to combine them. Cut a couple of slits in the newspaper. They will combine over a week.

Good luck.


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

Intheswamp said:


> Watching all of JP's videos could take hours!!!  But some very interesting, educational, and entertaining videos!!!
> 
> Ed


Oh, believe me, it does. But it was worth it. -james


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