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Well, I talked to Wally on Wednesday, and todl him that one of my hives swarmed. The one that swarmed was only occupying one deep in late March, and the bottom deep was empty. I reversed the boxes, and a week later gave them a medium box with foundation. I was not expecting a swarm from this box, as it had all that room, and it was last years queen.

Go figure!!! Well I came home today from the fire station, and the box only had a hand full of bees in it. I went back to where they first settled, and there they were, about 12 ft off the ground only about 10 feet from where they first settled. So, I gave the a second chance, and this time I gave them a medium of drawn comb on top of the deep with foundation. Hopefully the accomodations will suit them better this time.

Well,

After I hived the swarm for a second time, they seemed to be accepting the hive, and seemed like they were going to stay. About 45 Minutes later, I went to check on them, and the air was full of bees again. I quickly removed the top, and the bees were still there. When I came back into the yard, the swarm had started settling.

I shook them into a five gallon bucket, and put a window screen over it. I then went to Wally's and bought a hive to put them in.

In three days, I have doubled my hive count.

The two parent hives are ill to say the least. I certainly hope the queen will hatch and mate, and calm them down.

Any thoughts?

In my opinion, A 1 year old queen should be able to keep a 2 box colony together. Unless there was bad crowding in the brood area. The swarms say otherwise and I would be thinking about requeening the parent hives. The daughter of a weak queen might not be much better than the mother was.

I am sure it is my fault. When I went into the hive in late March, there were no bees in the bottom deep. I saw a queen cup, not cell, but it did have a fresh egg in it. I should have removed two or three frames, and started a nuc. Instead, I reversed the boxes, and added a medium in hopes of giving them plenty of room. One Week later, both boxes were full of bees, and they had not moved into the medium. Live and learn.

As for the other hive, I am sure they were over crowded. The queen had a full brood pattern in both deeps, and drone larvae in the bottom half of the medium that they wintered in. I gave them a second medium and I am guessing it was not enough? But for her to lay in both deeps and the medium, I have good confidence in her as a queen.