I've been extracting. I've quite a few frames with decent amount of pollen present which is not really something thats been a problem before. Any suggestions about how to treat these frames?
Could you put them back on the hive under the brood bodies for the bees to clean, then take them off in a couple of weeks?
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I have a hive that swarmed on Saturday morning onto the branches of a big lime tree about 30ft up and totally inaccessible without cherry picker.
I've stuck a few bait hives out nearby with attractant for scouts and they have been interested....... but the swarm is still up there and not budging after nearly 3 days now. It was awful weather on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning so I understand why they hung about.....but its glorious today and was yesterday.
Anyone seen stuck swarms like this before ?
I've put wet frames on top of a crown board for the bees to clean up, but I am really not sure they move pollen about once its been tucked into the comb. I can try your idea of putting underneath the brood, does work well to clean up crystallized stores or maybe at the edge of a colony and see if they use it as normal.
Re: GG: a stuck swarm. Not really seen that but how about a very long pole with a queen pheromone tablet/plastic strip stuck on the end and waved right beside them? https://www.betterbee.com/mating-nuc...-pheromone.asp
Or ask C4U where you might get such a thing, used to keep packages of bees without a Q happy for a period of time. Or, cage an old Q and wave that up at them. I'm clearly delusional that any such thing would work but its a strange thing when a beekeeper sees or thinks about swarms.
Not sure whats worse - a swarm you can get but that will not stay put or one that stays put and you cannot get.
I'd put just one bait hive close by ... don't give them a choice. Honeybee Democracy has the details but if there are equally attractive locations they might take longer to come to a decision.
What I've not seen is two successive days of glorious weather in Aberdeenshire
I've tried dropping swarms like that into a box on the ground. Place a sheet under the swarm with a suitable box ready nearby (floor, lid, dark, smelly). Chuck a rope over the branch with the swarm. Check your beesuit is done up properly . Give the branch a hard tug to drop the swarm onto the sheet. Pandemonium. Immediately place the box adjacent and with the entrance facing the bulk of the bees. Cross your fingers.
It's spectacular but I can't guarantee success.
PS At least you didn't start your post A friend of mine has recently lost a swarm ...
Green gumbo. If you give Fatsharks method a try (and I dare you to please consider asking a friend to film it as it sure would be a sight worth seeing.
I’m struggling a bit with a swarm I housed in a polynuc. Lots of bees are clustered under the mesh floor. Maybe there are too many bees to fit inside but it is so darn wet and rainy that I can’t transfer them to a hive.
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Extracting combs!!! I’ve still got 5 hives awaiting their first super.😭
I work single brood chambers and nearly all of my first supers contain some pollen. I see it as a minor problem and after extraction in the Autumn all of my supers are stored wet in airtight bin bags. Any pollen is quickly used up by the bees when the supers go back on in the next Spring especially if the weather is poor.
https://www.frasersauctionroom.co.uk/sales/266 check out this cool trailer!!
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