Do you quarantine your caught swarms?

[Intheswamp]

I've been told to quarantine any caught swarms.  The place that I have to quarantine them at is about seven miles from my house/apiary.  I have actually thought about putting an outyard there being as it borders on a sizeable swamp (Intheswamp ).

Anyhow, do you or don't you quarantine your caught swarms?  If so, how long do you quarantine them before you add them to one of your regular beeyards?

Of course I need to catch a swarm first, but I want to have a plan when (not if! ) it happens.

Ed

[yockey5]

I never do, but I may be the dummy here.

[Intheswamp]

yockey5, are there any beeyards around where you trap your swarms?  I figure that if you're pretty sure that they're feral/survivor bees then what's the point in quarantining...they're survivors, right?...so they probably should be healthy.   A bee tree that I'm setting up some traps nearby is approximately 4 miles from one known beeyard and 6.4 miles from another one.  These bees have been in the tree for the last 5+ years so I feel that they're healthy...it appears to be a good strong hive with *lots* of traffic in and out.  I'm still debating a quarantine yard, though....the newbee nervousness in me. 

Ed

[kathyp]

i don't and i know that plenty of mine come out of pollination hives during berry season. 

[Jim 134]

I've been told to quarantine any caught swarms.  

Ed

Do you quarantine your caught swarms?
I do not.

Can you tell us why   To quarantine swarms.



   BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[Intheswamp]

Can you tell us why   To quarantine swarms.

   BEE HAPPY Jim 134

The reason I understand is to help prevent the swarm from possibly bringing disease into your apiary, in the case that they are diseased, naturally. 

For what reason do you think there would be to quarantine them?

Ed

[Jim 134]

The reason I understand is to help prevent the swarm from possibly bringing disease into your apiary, in the case that they are diseased, naturally.  

For what reason do you think there would be to quarantine them?

Ed

First of all I put  swarm(s) on foundation or foundation-less what kind of disease(s) can the hive get  

I would say the same for bait hive(s). I do not use comb for bait.

If you do this I do not know of any disease(s) the hive will get.

    

    BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[CVBees]

I worried about the same thing on a cut out I did that had SHB and my one hive in my yard did not.  I just decided to spend a bit more time in the cutout hive to kill adults and installed beetle blasters to catch the ones I don't squish.  I find one or two adults once a week and none in the traps.  *fingers crossed* original hive doesn't come down with them.

CV Bees

[Jim 134]

I worried about the same thing on a cut out I did that had SHB and my one hive in my yard did not.  I just decided to spend a bit more time in the cutout hive to kill adults and installed beetle blasters to catch the ones I don't squish.  I find one or two adults once a week and none in the traps.  *fingers crossed* original hive doesn't come down with them.

CV Bees

This is about swarm(s) not cut outs or trap outs. I'v seen very few SHB in Massachusetts.
Can SHB be in swarm(s)


   BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[Intheswamp]

The reason I understand is to help prevent the swarm from possibly bringing disease into your apiary, in the case that they are diseased, naturally.  

For what reason do you think there would be to quarantine them?

Ed

First of all I put  swarm(s) on foundation or foundation-less what kind of disease(s) can the hive get  
If you do this I do not know of any disease(s) the hive will get.

    BEE HAPPY Jim 134

Hmm, I'm just a newbee Jim and I certainly don't have much experience at all.  For some reason I had it in my mind that they gorged on honey before swarming.  That the honey was used among other things to stimulate wax making to be used in building new comb in the new hive.  I've seen it often stated that open feeding of honey bees and also letting bees "clean up" equipment are two ways to spread disease.  You are convinced that possibly disease carrying honey that they bring with them will not pass on to the wax comb nor the bees?  Does the honey sanitize/kill any disease spores?  This is very interesting.  I take it that the cautions about letting bees clean up extractors and equipment is not to be worried about?

I am using starter strips of small cell foundation in my swarm traps.  The strips are long enough to reach below the top wire on my medium frames.  I figure this will get them start making some straight comb.  Below the wire they can have the open area to build what they want to.  No old comb so whatever they put in there will be there...diseased or not.

Ed

[yockey5]

"yockey5, are there any beeyards around where you trap your swarms?"


Yes, there is a bee haver (never works them, or pulls honey) about 1/2 mile from me and feral bees 1/4 mile south of me.

[AllenF]

Never quarantined a hive, or a swarm.   If you caught it around you, then anything the bees had would be in your area already.  And never forget about feral hives.   There are more feral hives around you than you think.   

[bwdenen]

I was wondering the same thing myself.  I'm hoping to get either a swarm or maybe a cut/trap out this summer and I was a bit concerned about bringing something home with me.  I’ve heard it recommended that you clean the hive tools with alcohol between yards, it seemed to make sense that a quarantine would be in order.  But if you all haven't had any problems, I likely won't waste my time doing it either unless I see something that looks funny at the time.

[Intheswamp]

Never quarantined a hive, or a swarm.   If you caught it around you, then anything the bees had would be in your area already.  And never forget about feral hives.   There are more feral hives around you than you think.   

Not having to set up a quarantine yard would be great.  Actually, the place I had that could be used for quarantining I'd thought about using for an outyard...later on, of course. 

It is said that every colony has foulbrood spores but that it's when something severely weakens the hive that it raises it's ugly head.  I guess if the swarm colony gets off to a good start and stays healthy there shouldn't be any issues, eh?

Well, from yours and pretty much everyone else's comments I won't worry about the quarantining issue.  Let the swarms come!!! 

Ed 

[Jim 134]

I was wondering the same thing myself.  I'm hoping to get either a swarm or maybe a cut/trap out this summer and I was a bit concerned about bringing something home with me.  I’ve heard it recommended that you clean the hive tools with alcohol between yards, it seemed to make sense that a quarantine would be in order.  But if you all haven't had any problems, I likely won't waste my time doing it either unless I see something that looks funny at the time.

 I would and do quarantined a cut/trap out or a new hive/nuc to me and nu-know (use) woodware, comb,etc . Just my $0.02


   BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[buzzbee]

Most of the spores and contaminants are in the combs.

[jredburn]

I do not quarantine the swarm but I do seal them inside the new hive for the first couple of days.  I feed them of course and after I see some comb being drawn the I open the door.
I have had swarms leave a brand new hive and go elsewhere. 
Regards
Joe

[Intheswamp]

Most of the spores and contaminants are in the combs.

If the spores can transfer to the brood can they transfer to the honey?

[Jim 134]

Most of the spores and contaminants are in the combs.

If the spores can transfer to the brood can they transfer to the honey?

Yes I will not feed nu-know  honey.


   BEE HAPPY Jim

[Intheswamp]

Most of the spores and contaminants are in the combs.

If the spores can transfer to the brood can they transfer to the honey?

Yes I will not feed nu-know  honey.

Hmm, now I'm back at the beginning again...  So the swarms *can* bring the spores (disease?) with them in the honey they bring from their mother hive.  If they use this honey to begin building new comb with aren't they effectively seeding the colony's new home with the spores?   

Btw Jim, what is "nu-know  honey"?

Ed