# Captured Bee Experiment



## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Video of the bee activity in the observation window.
I was thinking I had 1,000 bees or more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV79hhbCajY


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Over the next day Monday July 8th and Tuesday July 9th I observe the feral bees trying to get INTO the captured hive









Tuesday early morning,I replaced the vaccum chamber with a simple board and screen cover.
There was many more than that and it was covered with bees. I was using my blower to ventalate the hive and move them so I could get a good photo.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Wednesday at about 4:30 am (Hour number 59):
My first time opening the hive to give a 2 inch entrance.
I wanted to remove the "upsidedown tub feeder", but the bees were all sleeping on it and I didn't want to disturb. They have 4 frames of drawn (and cleaned) comb, a polin patty and the green sponge for water. This marked the 59th hour they have been in there. I was hoping to find more bees. There was also a clump of bees on the queen cage. I put 2-1 sugar syrup on the combs before putting in there. I cleaned them prior as they had been the dead brood frames. I "jet-blasted" with water and then using a dental pick I removed any remaining dead eggs/larva/pupas that remained. I am not sure how many bees are between the frames.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

The Queen. She was introduced into the hive at hour # 48. The guy at the Bee Supply suggested I not release her as the bees may be too stressed and they might take it out on her and kill her. That is why I opened the hive to let them deficate and get some fresh air. (relieve stress) They accepted her as I saw them all over the queen cage this morning at 5 am when I opened the hive. That was after 12 hours.
You can see the small opening I have for them farther away from the feeder. There is nothing in the feeder right now.
The "stick" protrouding from above has the queen cage on it. She extends to about 1 inch from the bottom of the chamber.
I got a marked queen this time. I will remove the cork plug and let them eat through the candy here in a few minutes at 12 noon.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I don't understand what you did or why. Did you do a cut out? Is that where the "feral" bees came from? Or did you catch a swarm?


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## reidflys (Jan 14, 2011)

Had a bit of trouble following the experiment, but I've smoked the bees and myself today.
I like your yellow hives, they look cool.


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## reidflys (Jan 14, 2011)

Ok, went back through it.
Your isolating robber bees?
I'd paint them up with a queen marker and re-run the trial
to see if they same individuals come back again.
I've never been sure if robbing is more about which bees
do it, or if it is a symptom any bee will take up if the conditions are right for it.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

The reason why I did it was because my old colony colapsed.
(http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?284529-Why-my-colony-is-collapsing)
As I was feeding the hive I noticed a more and more agressive behavior toward the orange internal suryp-float feeders. 20 to 30 dead ones on 2 successive days. This is after 1 month of using the feeder so I finally realized I was not feeding my bees but robber bees.
I wanted to get myself a hive back and restated. I was not sure how many bees I had left in my original one. I ordered a replacement queen without knowing how many. Well I had basically none.! So I decided to catch some bees to act like my "Package Bees", and with the new queen I bought I "should" have a fresh start.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I see. Good luck. I would not expect success. But you might pull it off.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Well, I determined the source of the "feral" bees.
15 hives only about 75 yards away. I watched where the bees were flying to/from, and was thinking they were up in a tree, but they were not.
That means I can catch many more bees to suppliment my hive. I hope to have a 5 hundred or more that will switch aligence to the new queen!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Your neighbors apiary?


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

I probably have not understood your post properly, because it sounds like you say you are stealing your neighbors forager bees to start a new colony? Would it not be better to ask to buy 2 frames of brood and nurse bees to make your start with? That would give you more chance for sucess and would be less apt to cause problems with a neighbor.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Assuming the neighbor knows.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

Yes, I suppose there are some beekeepers that do not know about Beesource.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

AR Beekeeper said:


> Yes, I suppose there are some beekeepers that do not know about Beesource.


Yes, my dad is one of them. He still has a modem and an AOL account. I kid you not.

If you have a neighbor with 15 hives I would tell him you lost your hive and ask him if he could give you a frame of brood and a couple shakes. Let him know you have been feeding his bees and he may be more favorable to it.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

not to mention you are steeling foragers, and still have no nurse bees to cover the brood and feed.
If I were you I would approach the guy who has the apiary, tell him you do not have a clue about bees but are attempting to start a hive you may just gain a friend, and mentor. either of which is worth far more than any amount of bees.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Or save yourself now while you have a chance and just purchase honey from your neighbor!


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

shannonswyatt said:


> Yes, my dad is one of them. He still has a modem and an AOL account. I kid you not.


HAY!!! I resemble that remark!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Tenbears said:


> not to mention you are steeling foragers, and still have no nurse bees to cover the brood and feed.
> If I were you I would approach the guy who has the apiary, tell him you do not have a clue about bees but are attempting to start a hive you may just gain a friend, and mentor. either of which is worth far more than any amount of bees.


Assuming the photograph is a picture of his neighbors apiary and not a picture of his own apiary.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

AR Beekeeper said:


> I probably have not understood your post properly, because it sounds like you say you are stealing your neighbors forager bees to start a new colony? Would it not be better to ask to buy 2 frames of brood and nurse bees to make your start with? That would give you more chance for sucess and would be less apt to cause problems with a neighbor.


Actually I just found out this afternoon that this apiary was there. I was originally thinking that my 1st queen had swarmed, and then the 2nd emergency queen left with the final and last set of my bee stock. I was kind of expecting to find a group of "wild" feral bees up in a tree or a swarm of bees that had originated from my hive. Don't they go into attic spaces on a regular basis?

I didn't know that my neighbor had bees because I never saw any foragers around until this year.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

shannonswyatt said:


> ..................
> If you have a neighbor with 15 hives I would tell him you lost your hive and ask him if he could give you a frame of brood and a couple shakes. Let him know you have been feeding his bees and he may be more favorable to it.


Yes good plan. I hope to get their contact information later today or tomorrow. Since I did not see any feeders on their hives I can only assume that my yard is now the popular spot to hang out with those bees.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Update today is Thursday July 11, 2013. I got the bright idea of sequestering my whole hive in a TENT!. That way no robber bees.
This is a 2 person tent. As I am doing my inspection. This is a video grab of the queen cage in the foreground and the top of the hive in the background. I think I have only like 250 to 500 bees in total.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

The interior of the tent is one that measures about 8 feet by 8 feet.
I added 2 foraging trees, a "tub" feeder on a TV Tray, and a sponge soaked with water.

They are basically protected from the other robber bees.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

A look at the queen cage with bees covering it.
Because of that I know she is still in there. They had waxed it down on 1 side. I think that was the side with the candy plug in it. Not sure it was hard to see anything through the viel hood I was wearing. This was after I removed the 2nd cork. A few crawled inside and came back out again.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

Some other observations are that yesterday I noticed robbing happening at the hive so mid morning I closed it back up again. The robbers were stuck inside with the other bees. Even though I had the externa l tub feeder out on a table there are so many bees they decided to look everywhere for the feeders. They found the entrance feeder on the hive.
The main ovservation is that after 60 hours the bees had already switched and were deciding to stay in their new home. I waited 12 hours to pull the 1st cork from the queen cage. At that point there was a group that had clumped on top of the queen cage. I think she was accepted at that time. I added 2 frames of drawn comb hoping that she emerges and starts to lay eggs. I hope to have some more positive results by Sunday. I plan to leave them in the tent for the next week or longer. A look at 1 of the frames with some bees on it.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

My current sequestered hive on 7-18-2013.
The picture of the yellow hive is my few bees that I had when I re-queened it and on the 11th they freed her. I think it will be another 2 weeks until I might be able to see some eggs hatching.


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## disc999golfer999 (Jun 9, 2013)

I bought a new hive 6-frame Nuc on Monday July 15th.
I am thinking I need to grab a frame of brood from my 2nd hive to supplement the population as well as adding some nurse bees to the struggling hive. That feeder in there gets some usage. The feader may not be close enough to the 2 frames of brood.

This weekend I plan on re-constructing my boxes. They are too long. The new bees in the nuc box need to get transitioned out of there. It is at capacity with 8 frames in it. Plus it needs some serious cleaning. These new bees are a little more pissey. I got stung through the glove on Monday when I was adding the 2 frames. Plus tonight 1 of them followed me to the sliding glass door, and another 2 came inside with me yesterday. I had 2 bees buzzing in the house. They are much more noisier than flies.

Has anybody done that before? Mixing frames from 1 hive into another? Since my 1st hive is the weaker one, I don't want to put a frame or 2 of brood in there and have there be a bunch of fighting ans such. Not sure of the outcome. I just want to check. As long as I keep the queens separate in their own box, I should be fine. I added the 3rd and 6th frame in there on Tuesday night. I hope to have them draw it out and the queen to lay eggs in it.


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