Swarm question....

[jardiniere28]

So I found my first swarm in my own yard and it was low hanging fruit. I thought it might be from one of my hives, but inspections since show hives full to bursting!

I put said swarm in a deep, (it was a HUGE swarm.). The next day they had left and gone back to the same bush where I found them.

I put that same swarm, now half its original size in the same box and they left again going back to the same bush, they were now smaller than the 2nd time I got them.

I put them in a nuc with lots of fondant and plugged up the entrance with a stick for 24 hours.

They seem to have stayed this time, but I have no idea if there is a queen or not. I don't want to mess with them too much for a week or so.

My question is: What is the deal with the incredible shrinking swarm???

[clark10]

Was the equipment you hived them in new?

[jardiniere28]

The deep was not, but the frames were made last year with fresh wax sheets on them. I have been told that swarms are comb building fools and they are good for that use.

Also, there was no dead bees in the box or anywhere underneath the bush where they landed.

When I put them in the nuc, I used some drawn out comb and put one new undrawn frame in. I'll go check in a week or so to see if the queen did indeed stay.

[clark10]

I ask because once or twice over the years I have had a swarm depart from equipment that had mice scent on it. The swarms that I had trouble hiving would not stay in the mice scented boxes and frames. When I gave them mouse free equipment they stayed around just fine.

Another reason that a swarm may take off is if the swarm is hived near the original hive. This was later found to be due to a great bee tree that was empty at the time. If the scout bees and colony have already decided they have a better home than the equipment I gave them then I imagine they see it as just another layover along the way to their ultimate destination.

The decrease of bees could be due to workers in the swarm cluster returning to the original hive site. I have seen this happen before, and after, a swarm is removed from a tree or other temporary stop during swarming.

I hope this helps.