# Need advise when to move bees out of trap



## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

I had a medium size swarm move into a trap yesterday. I'm going over sea's for three weeks on Wednesday and was debating if I should move them into a nuc or leave them until I get back. I live in S. Texas so the cold weather is not an issue. Any advise?


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

Move them now.

Peter


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

"Any advise?"

If I had the time, I would move the bees now. If the trap is small or not full of frames, I would do my best to make the time.


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## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

Ok I have an update, I was able to capture the queen and installed them in a nuc with a frame of honey and a feeder. Experienced something new, there were two queens in this swarm. Anyone have this happen? I put her in a queen cage and made another nuc. Very productive hour in my day!


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Caught at least two swarms last year and two this year that I know had at least two queens in each swarm. I started carrying a couple of queen catchers with my swarm catching equipment and try to always have a least one extra nuc available in case there are extra queens. It's not that unusual, especially with secondary (after the prime swarm) swarms when several virgins may emerge around the same time. Congratulations on the capture!


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

they are probably virgins and if you caged them, they may miss their mating window.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Agree with Harley Craig on the caging. Don't leave them in the cage more than a couple of days so they can do their mating flights. Treat them like a package with queen, she should be out of the cage in three or four days. The swarm should have comb built by then and be anchored to the hive/nuc by then and stay.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I would leave them for three weeks, or longer. Unless your lure box has no frames, nothing is gained by rushing it. Let them build, and in your area you'll find 4 or 5 frames, ready to place in a hive when you get home. But, bring them to your bee-yard, they will be ok in a lure box where they will live. You could skip the nuc box at that point. I let all my caught swarms build at least a good nuc/split of comb before hiving. I get -0- absconding. If your lure boxes do not have the frames or topbars you're using, fix that, make life easier.


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## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

I emptied the lure box into a four frame nuc and realeased the queen today. When i checked the lure box I found an additional two lbs of bees. I dumped them into the nuc and added a few frames of honey. Its been a very productive week so far.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

:thumbsup:


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