Advice for captured swarm relocation (2025)

Hi Everyone,

My freind and I are just starting beekeeping and while we were gearing up to collect a swarm, a friend of a friend collected a Prime Swarm 5 miles away, which they do not have the space for and want to give to us.

The Freind of a Freind captured the swarm using National Frames and after capture in the Nuc, traeted the bees for Varroa and went away on holiday the next day, but put the swarm into a hive for a week.
On her return this weekend, she will take the 6 frames, put them back into the Nuc, we will collect, transport and then take the National Frames from the Nuc and put them into our LANGSTROTH hive.

Which as you can imagine, creates a few questions - if I may?

1. I have read all of the information about transporting bees, so I believe that we are ok on that front.

2. I have modified the Brood box of the Langstroth by reducing the size of the walls to accomodate the 6 National frames - but just wanted to ask, if anybody has any tips or tricks about switching from one size to another?

3. My biggest question is around - Integration of the bees from the Nuc to the hive?
- Once we switch the bees over, do we need to block the entrance for a time period, how do we make the bees understand that they are at a new location (put a branch next to the entrance etc), has anybody done this, what is the best way to do this?
- I am presuming that we need to feed, as they will have no stores, but what do we feed?
- I have heard that feeding sugar/water discourages bees from foraging - in that the case, should we look at fondant instead?

Is there anything that I'm missing or not considering (we willalso look for the queen and mark her (if not already done) when we do the switch.

Thanks for any advice.

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Reducing the walls of a langstroth is a good idea, but bear in mind that they will build comb in spaces bigger than 1cm. Are you going to have all national frames in the langstroth box? Or are you doing 6 national plus 4 langstroth frames?

The bees may not be using all 6 frames yet, in which case it might be better use as many langstroth frames as possible to speed up the conversion. I would ditch all the national frames that don't have brood in. If you've got a couple of boxes, you could put the queen straight into an unmodified lang box with all lang frames and the feed a 1:1 syrup to get them drawing out the new frames quickly. That box could then go on top of your modified box (above a queen excluder) so the brood below can hatch out below. That would be the fastest way of converting. Hanging national frames inside langstroth frames works, but if you're unlucky they'll build comb in the opposite direction though the open sides of all the frames (I've got the t-shirt!)

You only need to do things with the entrance if you're moving less than 3 miles.

TommyTanker said:

presuming that we need to feed,

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Not necessarily, but maybe, depending on the state of the flow in your area. Watch the hawthorn, sycamore and field maple and see whether your bees are foraging well.

Don't make the mistake of continual feeding, which will only clog laying space.

TommyTanker said:

feeding sugar/water discourages bees from foraging - in that the case, should we look at fondant instead?

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No, bees will forage for water, propolis and pollen, find nectar and may ignore the syrup. Don't fret over feeding because bees are experienced at feeding themselves.

TommyTanker said:

I have heard that feeding sugar/water discourages bees from foraging - in that the case, should we look at fondant instead?

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I think you need to be careful in believing what you hear - if there is forage out there they will often ignore syrup - and who told you that switching to fondant would be any different?