# Moving new swarm



## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

It is best to move the swarm just as soon as you have it secured in a hive body, the comb mess will only get worse with time. I would move it and remove the bad comb.


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## photobiker (Mar 23, 2015)

I moved 3 swarms I caught recently about 40' into my "bee yard". Locked the door, screen, at dark and moved them to their new location. Next morning I put a piece of plywood about 12" in front of their opening and removed the screen. Heck I even went back tot he swarm location and got the girls that spent the night out.


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## ABK (May 9, 2016)

Yeah I think that's what I'll do. Not sure how to go about fixing the bad comb. I don't know about removing it altogether. Would it be best to cut it out and stick it into a foundationless frame? I heard that new comb like that is very soft and I would probably ruin a lot of it just by handling it.


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## ABK (May 9, 2016)

photobiker said:


> I moved 3 swarms I caught recently about 40' into my "bee yard". Locked the door, screen, at dark and moved them to their new location. Next morning I put a piece of plywood about 12" in front of their opening and removed the screen. Heck I even went back tot he swarm location and got the girls that spent the night out.


How exactly did you get the girls that spent the night out? I don't know if they were night time fishers? Foragers or what but I have some bees circling the spot where the trap was before I moved it last night. I did put a branch in front of the hive at the new location. How do you get these stragglers to their new home location?


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## photobiker (Mar 23, 2015)

I set another nuc at the original location, they went in and out all day, and that evening after dark screened the door shut and moved them right up against their new home. Put plywood in front of the entrance on about a 45 degree angle toward the new hives opening. Next morning let them out. Checked a few hours later and the original nuc was empty and they weren't flying around at the first location so I am assuming they moved back home with their sisters.


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## mharrell11 (Mar 18, 2014)

Since this is primarily my same question, I will add to this. Caught a swarm this morning in a 8 frame deep. I will be moving it to my bee yard which is 10 miles away. Wasn't planning on moving until next week. Is it ok to wait that long?

Also, how long before the queen starts to lay?

BTW, I had this box in my backyard about 4 ft off the ground with the entrance wide open for the last 6 months. Yesterday late afternoon I built a perch about 15 ft up in my oak tree and put the hive up in the tree and put on an entrance reducer. Early this morning a swarm moved in.


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## photobiker (Mar 23, 2015)

I'll tell you what I have read/learned here. I don't think the wait time matters, move them when it is works for you. As for queen laying, it depends on why they swarmed. Did they swarm because they didn't have enough room or because of a bad living environment, mites. If they left with the "home" queen I would think as soon as comb is built she would start laying. If she is a new virgin queen it will take a little time, 2 to 3 weeks.


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## ABK (May 9, 2016)

Well, I moved that swarm that moved into the trap about 50 yards. The next day I saw bees there so I left another trap there and left for the week.

I'm back 6 days later and I saw a lot of dead bees on the ground by that spot where the spawn moved in. Inside that new trap I put in place is a lot of dead bees and some live that aren't moving.

What happened, and what can be done?


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## ABK (May 9, 2016)

I checked the swarm trap that I moved 50 yards and there are still bees in there working and building comb. So they didn't all fly back to the original trap location. I haven't done anything with the ones that are in that original location hive. Still wondering what to do with them..


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