Bevbee
New Bee
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2016
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 5
- Location
- Nottingham
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 2
I did a shook swarm an a strong colony 30/3. I checked 7/4 and we had eggs and larvae ( earliest it could emerge 21/4 ). On 7/5 I had a swarm.
I inspected yesterday and there was a single QC ( now empty) no egg/larvae and I did not see a queen.
My question is why did they swarm ? They had plenty of space (they have 2 frames of foundation still to draw) the colony wasn't particularly swarmy last year. At the other end of the apiary , I have a hive that is choc full (it was too small for a shook swarm earlier in the year), but there the old queen is, struggling to find a spare cell to lay in and no sign of a QC. It doesn't seem to make sense.
I inspected yesterday and there was a single QC ( now empty) no egg/larvae and I did not see a queen.
My question is why did they swarm ? They had plenty of space (they have 2 frames of foundation still to draw) the colony wasn't particularly swarmy last year. At the other end of the apiary , I have a hive that is choc full (it was too small for a shook swarm earlier in the year), but there the old queen is, struggling to find a spare cell to lay in and no sign of a QC. It doesn't seem to make sense.