ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
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- From: John Rintoul <beecd AT icloud.com>
- To: Randy Chellis <crandytoo AT aol.com>
- Cc: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [ocba] large swarm caught, have questions
- Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:37:28 -0400
Congratulations! It sounds like you caught a very large swarm. Putting them in a box with drawn comb, nectar, pollen and capped honey is an excellent way to help them settle in. I would not be inclined to get in a hurry to inspect them or do a sugar shake. Give them at least a week to set up housekeeping. The call back to the site of the swarm could mean that you didn’t get the queen, or like you said it could simply be that you didn’t get all of the bees and the stragglers clustered on a branch to figure out their next move. Since the bees in your box seemed content I assume that you got the queen. If after you inspect them you find that you don’t have a queen you can add one. If you got the queen and since they have drawn comb the queen will be laying soon. You should see brood after a week - after they have settled in. As for feeding, I would feed them at least until nectar flow is in full stride. But with the stores that you gave them + the stores that they will start bringing in themselves it would not be critical. But to get the foundation in the second box drawn out they will need sugar. So supplemental feeding will help get that underway even if they can survive without it. I suspect that more of us will be finding swarms like this in the next few week. Let’s hope they all settle close to the ground. -John John Rintoul (919) 414-4071 (M)
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[ocba] large swarm caught, have questions,
Randy Chellis, 04/06/2017
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Re: [ocba] large swarm caught, have questions,
John Rintoul, 04/06/2017
- Re: [ocba] large swarm caught, have questions, Walter Starks, 04/06/2017
- Re: [ocba] large swarm caught, have questions, mark powers, 04/06/2017
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Re: [ocba] large swarm caught, have questions,
John Rintoul, 04/06/2017
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