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BUCKS COUNTY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

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Swarm Control

  • April 21, 2025 10:11 AM
    Quote
    Message # 13490020
    William

    Hello,

    I have one hive that is doing fantastically well. 2 deeps loaded with bees and  last week put on a 3rd deep with drawn comb to give them space. That is already filled with nectar. After a closer look yesterday, there are charged queen cells and one sealed queen cell in the middle deep. 

    I took out some of the frames on the top box filled filled with nectar and replaced with some capped brood frames and put on a queen excluder below the top box.  So the top box now has brood and nurse bees - no queen.

    The lower deeps have the queen somewhere (unmarked, can't find) and the sealed queen cell. 

    I was thinking of doing a split by moving the bottom two boxes (with the queen) about 6 feet away, and remove the frame with the sealed queen cell, put it back with the top box and another with stores in the original hive location.

    Any suggestions / comments if this is a good plan?

    Thanks,

    Bill
  • May 22, 2025 8:29 PM
    Quote
    Reply # 13502458 on 13490020
    Brynnen

    I am sure this is too late to help.  If you have this problem in the future this is what I do.  Find the queen.  Move her to a nuc with a frame of capped brood and nurse bees and a frame of honey/nectar.  Since there are no workers, she will not swarm.  Watch the nuc, and when it gets pretty full, move her and her colony to a deep.  I usually position the nuc on top of a deep ready to use (top cover, inner cover, deep, and bottom board. ) Let your old hive requeen.
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