# She's gonna swarm!



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I was planning on doing first inspection of the year and a split off of each colony tomorrow. Looks like I'm a little late!
Just walked out and it looks like she's gonna swarm!
Hopefully it's just backlog from orientation flights, but I don't think so!


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I just walked out there again, almost an hour later, and they've grown, the middle box face is almost covered as well now. It's 85F out, the wind has died down finally, which is why I was going to go out tomorrow to inspect and split in the first place. Oh well, a day late and a dollar short this time. I'll get out and check on them sometime in the morning tomorrow.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Well, I just came in, from removing the entrance reducer. The other 2 hives are not excited like they should be if this one was going to swarm. It's the hottest day of the year so far and very still out, they probably need to keep brood cool inside so have perched outside as they return from working. I can hope for this anyway. 
Tomorrow will be a good first inspection day of the year, 85F or so and still so should be quite pleasant in the morning.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Ray:

well, one of my hives looks like it's going to swarm, bearded half way up the front and hanging down off the front landing board.

the other 2 hives look normal

03-22 15:22
Ray:

I get drifting from the 2 hives into the one on the north end of the stand, and it's the one that's bearding. Most of my flows are to the north right now, and so that end one gets a lot of drift from the other 2.

03-22 15:24
Ray:

it's 86F out right now and calm, 15 - 20 degrees warmer than it's been so far, even that much warmer from just last week. A hot wave has moved in. It's been high winds yesterday and today, but now I see the winds have died and it's calm out, and very warm.

03-22 15:26
Ray:

I was planning on getting out tomorrow to inspect and split them all. Looks like I might be a little late.

03-22 15:27
Ray:

I hope they don't go to any of the neighbor's houses and cause me to have to go get them

03-22 16:23
Ray:

maybe they are just hot inside. it is after all 86F and the winds have died down to nothing, very still out. They probably full of brood inside that needs to be kept from getting too warm. I just came in from removing the entrance reducer. I'll keep checking on them every hour to see if they swarm off before sunset, which is 3 hours away. Right now is prime time for swarms to happen, if they are going to.

03-22 16:23

Ray:

just walked out to see the hive, the beard has greatly reduced since I removed the entrance reducer an hour ago. So, looks like false alarm on the swarm

Whew!
03-22 17:27


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

So yea, looks like a false alarm. Wow, I feel like a NewBee NOOB.
LOL


----------



## Rave1 (May 8, 2021)

New Bee here, so anticipating a swarm with heavy bearding [usual activity]. Cooling the hive worked, but that was about the only thing that could be done. Helpless feeling, glad it worked though. Post what you find on your inspections, would ya. Your a fortunate Guy, I did 90 day stays in Roseville, worked aircraft at Beale for a D- contractor from Tejas. Loved the area.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Hi yes, not a bad area here. Problematic for bees though as there's way too many hives in the area and a lack of flowers. Mostly rice fields to the northwest of me, and dead grass fields in the summer. But it's nice here, glad I moved here in 2009.


----------



## Gino45 (Apr 6, 2012)

Bearding doesn't mean too much on a warm day, My questions are.....is the top box full of honey, and is there adequate room for the queen to lay? A good thing to do is turn the 2nd box on end and look at comb from see if there are swarm cells, If there are, that is where you will find them, IMO.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

OK, went through the 3 hives today.
That one has sealed brood or honey in all frames. 4-5 frames of all stages of drones as they were foundationless frames added in the fall. They've drawn out everything and filled everything with honey and brood, AND no queen cells and old queen still there. Most brood is sealed but did find 3 frames that might have some eggs so I made a split. Pulled that box away to new stand and facing different direction.
Swapped hives with what I assumed (there's that word) was the weakest and added back a box of foundation to replace the box I'd pulled away as a split. Put 4 frames foundation in center with filled honey frames or brood frames to the outsides in the top 2 boxes... I run 8 frame mediums throughout... Went thru the one I thought was the weakest, they not as packed as the other but not doing bad at all. Lots of brood and honey, all foundationless frames had been pulled and filled with drone brood and honey. I found and marked the queen, she is last years queen. The queen in the strongest one is a queen from 2 or 3 years ago.
The last hive ended up being the weakest, only 2 boxes of honey and brood and none of the foundationless frames have been drawn in the top box. Found and marked her also, she's also last year's queen.
Ok, they should all be good for at least a week or more, so now I can stop wondering what's going on. Looks like it's starting out to be a good year. That one weakest hive, I may just go in soon and just pinch that queen, let them make another. She's awfully black and long, somewhat slender, I'm betting more russian or pure old world carni queen. At any rate, she's quite a bit behind the other two so she may just get pinched.


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

RayMarler said:


> She's awfully black and long, somewhat slender, I'm betting more russian or pure old world carni queen. At any rate, she's quite a bit behind the other two so she may just get pinched.


give her some time.
often they catch up and do fine, a non early brooding line can also have advantages.
glad your big hive did not swarm.

GG


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I gave her time, and she's doing very well. she has an excluder with a box of honey and some drone brood above it.

Here's what I did today...
 









04-24 12:02 
Ray:

I just came in from checking the hives. I have 4 now. hive 1) has new mated queen, three-four frames solid capped brood, very good closed pattern. I marked her Yellow. I gave her 2 frames of honey, swapping out from her 2 frames of waxed plastic foundation. She has an upper box of waxed foundation also.









04-24 12:04 
Ray:

Hive 2) pulled 2 frames of sealed brood from the top brood box and moved up above excluder into the honey box, gave the brood box back the 2 frames of waxed foundation from hive 1. The 2 frames I pulled from the top brood box was honey that went to hive 1, when I moved up the 2 brood frames here from this hive upper brood box.









04-24 12:05 
Ray:

put excluder on hive 3) and arranged frames between honey box and top brood box.

did not check hive 4) yet, she probably has a fresh new queen but too soon to be bothering them to check yet. I'll check them in a week.









04-24 12:07 
Ray:

Drilled upper 3/4" hole entrances in the two hives that have excluders so far, in the top honey box. This is for letting drones out as some frames are foundationless with drone brood in all stages. That's good, I want to make a split off my 3 year old queen that has been the best performer in the yard last 2 years, maybe in a week when I check that hive 4 for a new queen.

OH, and I marked the new queen in hive 1) a bright yellow spot









04-24 12:08 
Ray:

OH, I'd already said that. LOL

That was enough activity for one day for me. I'll be getting out there again in a week. I would like to make one more split off that good 3 year old queen. I need to get a couple boxes of frames/plastic foundation cleaned up and rewaxed first. Besides that, the timing in the beeyard says wait 1-2 weeks to do another spliit.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Gray Goose said:


> give her some time.
> often they catch up and do fine, a non early brooding line can also have advantages.
> glad your big hive did not swarm.
> 
> GG


Well, I wish now that I'd have replaced that queen. She disappeared and they failed to make a new queen successfully. They tried to make queen from drone larva. I smashed the cells and gave 2 frames with eggs and brood from my best queen who is on her 3rd year, but there's no drones out this time of year. I hope she mates good enough to get to fall season, then I can replace her if I think it's needed. Or I have 4 hives now, so I can pinch and join her if I see it might be wise. After all, I really only feel the need for 3 hives. I'll probably be condensing down to 3 for over winter anyway, but I'll see what I do later on in the year.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

LOL, it's no problem Mr. Goose, it was a worthy try. 
I've still got more than enough hives to keep me entertained!


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

RayMarler said:


> LOL, it's no problem Mr. Goose, it was a worthy try.
> I've still got more than enough hives to keep me entertained!


good point, I as well am more than entertained.
have 10 or so to check today and then 10 more tomorrow each needing space of some sort.

GG


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I just came in from checking hives It's been almost a month since doing a good check on all of them. I have checked 1 or 2 now and then, but today was all of them as queen rightness needed to be comfirmed. They are now all queen right, and all have excluders, and all have upper entrance above excluders (3/4" hole). 1 queen is on her 3rd year and she's been my best hive in ALL respects.  1 Hive is this years queen from early spring. 2 hives are this years queen from a few weeks ago.

I run 8 frame mediums throughout, with 2 under the excluder and one box above, with notched inner and telescoping covers. I'm going to have to extract honey if they keep up what they been doing so far this year. This year I've been doing what Roland has said (thank you Roland ) and been moving sealed brood up to above excluder and putting foundation or partial drawn frames in their places. I tell you what, what a management system. The hive just grows and grows and grows! That 3rd year queen hive, she's drawn frames so well that I've robbed from her all season to supplement other splits that are still somewhat behind the strongest hives (I've made 3 splits this year, sold 2 of them). And I move honey and brood away from her when supplementing other hives and replace with foundation. She's been tops for sure, but the others are now starting to catch up and all 4 are doing very well indeed. This has been one of my best years beekeeping since I've moved to this location.


----------

