Did Merging a Swarm With a Queenless Hive Work?

Rich checks to see whether adding a swarm to a queenless hive worked. Another merge may have to happen.

To see the video of the “palm frond swarm” :
• “When the bough breaks...

[@mubarakumar6903]

Rich, you have the best supervisor!!!

[@southflbeekeepingwithrich]

Yes I do, 30 years and going strong.

[@markbee5787]

I think that hive may have absconded the few bees in it are probably bees that emerged after they left. The hive looks totally demoralized. I also noticed the capped brood looked sunken in like it got chilled. Thanks for the video.

[@southflbeekeepingwithrich]

Well, I did a cutout Thursday afternoon and took the bucket of scrap comb including some bits of brood to melt this afternoon (Saturday) and must have had at least 30 fuzzy newly hatched bees in it. Our temperatures are in the low 90s during the day and nights about 87. Chilled brood isn't much of a problem at this time of year, but I took the box with brood in it and put it on top after the newspaper merge. I guess we will see in another week.

[@honeybeedrones5510]

Good review of the hive honey bound tells the story of queen less and the multiple queen cells. When you put the swarm in the box I think it confused them with the cells and too much room but bees will be bees as you say thanks Rich

[@southflbeekeepingwithrich]

You are welcome. The newspaper merge I did afterward is doing well.

[@joe-no7nz]

Rich - did u get rid of your long hives?

[@southflbeekeepingwithrich]

If you mean my double wide 17 frame boxes, no, I may go back to using them, I just wanted to try vertical stacks again to try a couple of techniques I wasn't sure about. Not loving it so far. If you meant my 33 frame looong hives, I sold one to a club member and donated the other to the PBCBA for their training apiary.