# Are those my bees up in the tree?



## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

If you had fresh eggs in both your hives, the swarm is probably not from your hives.


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

They are your bees now.


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

dsegrest said:


> They are your bees now.


:thumbsup:

That is the correct answer!


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Congrats on the swarm. Regarding where it's from check your hives for swarm cell remnants and lack of eggs. Regarding a small swarm leaving... it wouldn't really change your entrance traffic loosing a softball sized ball of bees.


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## phyber (Apr 14, 2015)

tsmullins said:


> If you had fresh eggs in both your hives, the swarm is probably not from your hives.


I know this is generally the case, but I had first hand experience with the opposite.

My first hive/package of bees....they drew out about a frame of comb, queen laid eggs in a good pattern...then they left. I managed to find them and return them to the hive and have been fine since.


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## JustinJMS (May 5, 2015)

Would an established hive cast off a small swarm without a queen?


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## JustinJMS (May 5, 2015)

Well, we opened up the hive, and found a queen that does not look like the Italian/Carni hybrid that we have in the other hives.

Can anyone ID the breed of queen? Also, to me it looks like a virgin queen. Can anyone confirm?









I am also at a loss at what to do with such a small swarm. The whole swarm is about four to five times the amount of bees in the picture...


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

JustinJMS said:


> Well, we opened up the hive, and found a queen that does not look like the Italian/Carni hybrid that we have in the other hives.
> 
> Can anyone ID the breed of queen? Also, to me it looks like a virgin queen. Can anyone confirm?
> 
> I am also at a loss at what to do with such a small swarm. The whole swarm is about four to five times the amount of bees in the picture...


You could look at it as a free queen. 

Shane


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

JustinJMS said:


> Well, we opened up the hive, and found a queen that does not look like the Italian/Carni hybrid that we have in the other hives.
> 
> Can anyone ID the breed of queen? Also, to me it looks like a virgin queen. Can anyone confirm?
> 
> ...


Give them some capped brood if you can spare it. If she's not laying it might not be worth the effort though.

A carni queen can throw a striped queen as a daughter, italian can throw a striped or dark queen... it's all about genetics and they are all mutts. Don't worry about what she looks like, worry about what her colony looks like.


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