A/S help and advice needed

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jenkinsbrynmair

International Beekeeper of Mystery
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Location
Glanaman,Carmarthenshire,Wales
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
Too many - but not nearly enough
Opened my hive last night to find ten capped queen cells so promptly did an A/S
Queen with one frame of brood in new box/original position, QC's and all bees in old box 6 feet away, excess QC's squished.So proud of meself relaxed, had a [pint and so to bed.
This morning went out of the back door thought hmm that noise sounds like a load of bees swarming! :eek:
1. There they were clustering nicely half way up my (very big) apple tree.
Managed to get up to them, shook as many as possible into a box, still a couple of handfuls left on the branch and left them on a sheet on the lawn. An hour or so later, still quite a few bees bunched in the box but a good football sized bunch left on the branch. Just shook this lot into another box but not very confident this has worked Any ideas?
2. I've also now checked the original hive to make sure that the swarm in the tree is my errant queen as there are still a lot of flying bees around the hive. - yes she's swarmed and I found a very cunningly concealed capped queen cell left on the frame DOH! (not so chuffed with yourself now Jenkins!)
What should I do now?
If I manage to retrieve the queen do I put her in another hive thus having gone from one hive to three in 24 hours, put her back in the hive (this time without the capped QC or shall I just run around the garden like Basil Fawlty beating myself with one of the branches I cut of aforementioned apple tree.:willy_nilly:
Any answers would be welcome be they blunt or sugar coated I'll take it on the chin! :D
 
I've done an A/S (no queencells) and they've swarmed anyway! (Clipped queen; found her and put her back). They then swarmed the next day; found queen put her back with a queen excluder under. They tried later in the day too. Then gave up.

If you haven't got the queen from the swarm they will go back to the branch. If you have the queen in a box the chances are the bees will cover the box as they try to get to her.

Once you have the queen she could go back in the hive with a queen excluder under to keep her there for a few days. Provided there are no queencells then she should stay after that. If she is definitely in the hive, you can shake the remaining bees in front of it and they'll go in.

Don't let them overheat in the box - spray/dribble water into it if poorly ventillated.

Leave 1 open queencell in the remaning colony. Big queencell with royal jelly in and a larva floating in the stuff.
 
Further to my last! I'm happy I've now got the queen (and swarm) in an upturned box in the garden all the bees remaining on the tree after my second attempt and the bees remaining in another box from first attempt have all moved to one box. I take it i should now leave them until they're settled this evening then re - house them in the hive where they came from? should I also now remove the one remaining QC from that hive and hope she'll then settle.
By the way all the QC's I've found were capped.
Am I safe in leaving the QX on the bottom for over a week as I'm going away Wednesday?
 
Something I've heard from experienced beeks time and time again, If the QCs are capped, you won't stop them swarming.
 
Put a queen excluder under the hive, remove the queen cell you missed from the frame of brood then put an empty super box on top of the brood chamber and shake your swarm into it, roof on job done. They should be OK for a week as long as there is forage available.
 

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