# Captured Swarms Won"t Stay



## Ozarkian (Apr 27, 2008)

I've managed to capture 2 swarms this week and both stayed about an hour and left. What am I doing wrong? I got them in a new wooden nuc that I had painted on the outside about a week ago. I put a swarm lure (from Dadant) on one of the frames. The first time I had 4 frames in the nuc and this last time only 2. What can I do to persuade them to say? Thanks so much for any advice. I'm new at all this and obviously don't know what I'm doing.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

Fill the box with frames, however many it holds. Never leave empty space for them to draw wild comb.

Move them a few miles from the place you catch them. The scout bees are coming back and taking them away. If the scouts can't find them, they stay most times.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I have heard that a queen excluder can be put on under the lowest box. Then again, the queen will have slimmed down before her trip, so that may or may not work. Just make sure the queen is IN the hive first!!!!!!!!!!! 

Once she is laying, I beleive they will stay.


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## Ozarkian (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks, Terri and Iddee, for the ideas. I hadn't thought about the scout bees returning and taking them elsewhere. I had the idea that if the queen is in the nuc, they would all stay. Not true, huh?
So just as soon as I get most of the bees in the nuc, I should block the entrance and quickly haul them off, right? Would a quarter mile be far enough or would the scouts still find them? I couldn't go any farther and still be on my property.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

A couple hundred feet should work, but the farther the better. The only danger with the queen excluder, other then her being slim, is most swarms other than the first, primary ones, are headed by a virgin queen. If she is kept confined too long for her to mate, she will be a drone layer. She only has a week to 2 weeks to mate, or she never will.


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## no1cowboy (May 2, 2004)

I catch swarms 1/2 mile to 1 mile of my bee yard all the time, never had a problem with them leaving after I got them back to the yard yet!


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

Terri said:


> I have heard that a queen excluder can be put on under the lowest box. Then again, the queen will have slimmed down before her trip, so that may or may not work. Just make sure the queen is IN the hive first!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Once she is laying, I beleive they will stay.


I always do that. It has always worked for me.


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## james dilley (Mar 21, 2004)

Are you Spraying them with A sugar water spray???? Are you giving them pollen patties Mixed right?? What about A feeder ? Just A few thoughts!!!


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I was told to put a feeder in the hive entrance, then close it off by stuffing the opening with grass. By the time they eat their way out thru the grass, they will consider the hive their home and stay. I tried that and it worked with the wild swarm I installed last week. At least I hope it worked, they are still here... crossing my fingers I don't go out and find them missing...


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have had the queen excruder failed twice for me. I found that there is nothing like drawn comb, a frame of honey to hold a swarm and being left alone for at least a week.
Being left alone only means not pulling frames and such. You can still watch the entrance.

 Al


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

That sounds like twice you've managed to get a swarm that had already found a new place to go, and you were just a detour in the route.


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## Ozarkian (Apr 27, 2008)

THANK YOU all so very much for the great ideas. Now I have some things to try on the next swarm.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Ozarkian said:


> Thanks, Terri and Iddee, for the ideas. I hadn't thought about the scout bees returning and taking them elsewhere. I had the idea that if the queen is in the nuc, they would all stay. Not true, huh?
> So just as soon as I get most of the bees in the nuc, I should block the entrance and quickly haul them off, right? Would a quarter mile be far enough or would the scouts still find them? I couldn't go any farther and still be on my property.


If the queen leaves the hive, everybody will follow.

As for a virgin queen, I took beekeeping a class at a local college. He says that, since bees mate on the wing, by the time the virgin queen arrives she is a virgin no longer. Drones have nothing to do except hover and look for mates, and with her flying around that is all that it takes. He says this has been tested: the queens left virgins but she arrived bred. (I don't remember the details of the test, though)


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