Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[sangje]

Hi any help appreciated. We very sadly stacked our warre boxes randomly (but in a tower luckily with roof and quilt on top) in the back of my garden after a good colony abandoned it from an adjoining orchard last autumn.
Just about to move house and went to move the boxes to give to a friend when to our surprise we saw pollen loaded bees going in and out of a gap between the boxes where they overlap. We have not disturbed them but are unsure what to do. Whether to carefully move them to her place more or less as they are in the night or put them in a transition box first. Advice ?

[trekmate]

Bees! So unpredictable... Congrats on the swarm.

I don't use Warres, but:

How many boxes are they in? It will be simpler to move them as they are, just close in with ventilation and strap boxes securely together. If only two boxes, quite straightforward; four boxes a bit more difficult. Assuming you're using top-bars as per Warre plans (as opposed to frames) moving them to a different box temporarily may cause more problems unnecessarily.

Good luck and do let us know how it goes.

[sangje]

Thanks so much trekmate ! That reinforces our plan - we thought we would do that at the end of the week. I think they are only in the top box and they are quite small. Which throws up the next question of whether they will survive - new place and late in the season - but we have been advised to feed a lot and cross our fingers !

[trekmate]

If they are only in the top box it would be best to take the empties away. Less volume means less to patrol and maintain giving the colony a better chance. I had a small colony in a TBH going into last winter that I had little hope for. A reduced volume (follower boards around three combs) and they came through well and have expanded this year.

[olriley]

Are there bars/frames in the box? If not have they presumably have built comb on the underside of the roof ... a bit more tricky to sort out.

[Adam Rose]

[trekmate]

Adam - fully agree with you insulation comments, but I'm referring to "maintaining a strong colony" i.e. density of bees. Mid Lothian is not generally an extreme climate, especially with climate change...
John

[sangje]

Hi thanks everyone - yes there are bars in the top two boxes - i think as you say we will remove the bottom/surplus ones and insulate like crazy -thank you all - will let you know how it goes.