Own fault

After the swarms last week I thought I would allow the bees some time to sort themselves out and produce new queens as needed before I did an inspection and removed all "queen cups", dormant queen cells and often the reason for swarming but also the important reserve if something happens to the queen.

Had plans for lots to do on another very hot day when Angie said, isn't that bee noise coming from the forest? Sure enough and about 7 meters up in a tree, not somewhere you are going to get me with the best ladder in the world. However, using methods I won't detail got the swarm to drop more or less in to an unsuitable box placed on the ground. The boxes I am still waiting for have still not arrived.

However after an hour or so it was clear they didn't want to go in, probably because the queen had landed outside the box. So later in the afternoon, dug out the third and last of he big used boxes I bought two weeks ago which although cleaned out doesn't yet have all the roofing parts it needs.

So improvised and set the box next to the original one and tried to get as many of the bees as possible in. It seemed to work as by the time I had finished other work around the house and garden at 9:45 pm, I found they had taken up residence (photo taken with flash).

So carried them home (boy was the box heavy and ground uneven) and simply set them up next to the others. Will chance them staying as I have enough to do without taking lengthy special measures.

Eventually got in after 10:00pm.

I really do now have to get to grips with this and do a 100% queen inspection. I now have 9 hives but of course all relativel small and thus the chances of getting any honey very small. My own fault so no complaints!