# Killed the queen in a swarm, what now?



## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

if you have an extra frame with a queen cell from the hive they swarmed from, I would give them one and see what they do.


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## NCBeekeeper (Apr 4, 2013)

Are you sure there wasn't at least 2 queens in the swarm?


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## senilking (Mar 8, 2014)

NCBeekeeper said:


> Are you sure there wasn't at least 2 queens in the swarm?


It was a thought I had. But the bees are still acting like a swarm instead of a hive, and the queen I found looks to be the same as the one I moved to the hive from the swarm. And her thorax was broken open. Unless she was kicked out and out walking on the ground, and I accidentally crushed her out there, then she was crushed in the hive and they dumped her body. No other bees were around her.

Can a rival queen actually bite another queen? I've only ever heard of her stinging them.


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## NCBeekeeper (Apr 4, 2013)

I would keep looking. I had a have swarm and it had 4 queens yesterday. Crazy


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## KGB (Jun 25, 2014)

Hive them with a donated frame of brood to keep them, making sure there are eggs or <3 day old larva (the resources they need to make a queen), and see if they build a queen cell, or if there are eggs next week, then there is a laying queen with them.


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## senilking (Mar 8, 2014)

I think my plan of action is going to be to watch them and see if they are still in swarm mode tomorrow morning. If they haven't started pulling cells, I'll probably try to find a frame of brood and eggs to move over, assuming they don't have a queen. How long can a swarm survive without refueling on honey?

If they move into the box and start pulling frames and foraging, I'm going to assume there's another queen.


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## Beregondo (Jun 21, 2011)

Even if you discover that they do have a queen, you can move the d Ame of.brood and eggs back.

It costs you nothing but a few minutes' time to do, and if they don't start drawing a queen cell, you'll know that the swarm is not queen less.


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## senilking (Mar 8, 2014)

It looks like most of the bees have left the hive and are swarmed up on the outside. Do you think they will go back in once there's fresh eggs inside?

Should I transfer a frame over, and then sweep the bees back in the hive?


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

KGB said:


> Hive them with a donated frame of brood to keep them, making sure there are eggs


A swarm stuffed in a box without brood will leave most of the time. A frame of open brood with an egg here and there does two things. Locks them to the box and gives them a chance to make a queen. Got an extra queen cell even better.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

senilking said:


> It looks like most of the bees have left the hive and are swarmed up on the outside. Do you think they will go back in once there's fresh eggs inside?
> 
> Should I transfer a frame over, and then sweep the bees back in the hive?


They are getting ready to leave, add a frame of open brood, yes sweep the rust inside with the open brood.


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## senilking (Mar 8, 2014)

FlowerPlanter said:


> A swarm stuffed in a box without brood will leave most of the time. A frame of open brood with an egg here and there does two things. Locks them to the box and gives them a chance to make a queen. Got an extra queen cell even better.


I've actually never had a problem keeping a swarm in a box, as long as I just push the queen in first and let them march in. I'm a newbie though, it might just be beginner's luck. Planning to get a brood frame in ASAP.


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## gezellig (Jun 11, 2014)

If you don't put a frame of brood on ASAP, they will leave.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

Any updates?


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## senilking (Mar 8, 2014)

FlowerPlanter said:


> Any updates?


Yep, was just getting on to do that, lol.

I was contemplating how to get a swarm to go into hive mode and accept a brood frame. The original swarm had completely moved to the outside of the box. Then the original hive cast another swarm off. So I decided to just place another hive on top of the original hive the first swarm had originally came from and tried my best to get most of the swarm into the box, with a inner top and paper separating them, and closed the top box up so they couldn't leave. And then placed the second swarm in the box I had just removed the first swarm from.

The first swarm somehow found a way out of the hive and gathered up on on the front of the box, but eventually moved down and blocked the entrance which kind of peeved the original hive's bees off. But it slowly moved into the box, and I assume it's living happily together with it's former and now current hive. No dead bees or anything. And the second swarm is working away at collecting supplies and moving into it's new home.

So I have the first swarmed moved in with the original hive and hopefully a new queen working on mating, and a second swarm hive with a queen working on mating also. And another hive that's just been doing it's business from the beginning. I plan on checking them next week for queens, and trying to stop the swarming by getting them to pull some more comb. I would have liked to have ended up with four hives, but this will do. I might do a split at some point if no more swarms show up.


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## tazke (Mar 23, 2015)

I have also found dead queens outside a swarmed hive after a day or two. Freaked me out until I read here that they can swarm with several queens. Very fascinating.

I have caught a couple dozen swarms this year already. I will catch them and put them in a nuc or in a hive body depending on size. I watch a bit and see if they start fanning. If they do I wait a bit so the bees can march in. If they don't, I assume I didn't get the queen and try again. After a few minutes I close and move the hive, keeping it closed overnight I usually add a feeder. I move them because I have no luck if I leave the box near the swarm, IDK, maybe to scouts come back and say "found a place let's go". I close the box overnight because it seems if they start drawing comb they have"invested" in the new home. I don't get to worried if I don't get all the bees, I have watched them return to what I guess is the parent hive after awhile.


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