Re: 1st year questions

Your first year experiance is very similar to mine, I turned 2 nucs
into 5 hives my first year by feeding ,feeding ,feeding and a lot of
tree climbing to reclaim the swarms that were produced.
The main reason for the swarming was not enough drawn comb resulting
in congestion.
Starting on foundation is a tough thing to do and it is a rotten way
for beginners to get started when compared to having a good amount of
drawn comb.

Even if you lose all your bees overwinter I suggest you don't abandon
beekeeping because the amount you have learned in your first year is
tremendous.
In addition you now have more drawn commb than before and that will
make things easier. (make sure to protect empty comb from moths)

It's not at all uncommon for a hive that has swarmed to fail, poor
genetics, poor mating, bad weather, getting eaten on maiden flight -
or lost are all hazards the hive and new queen undergo.

A package or a nuc cost about the same as a car tire, would you have
given up driving if you had gotten a flat tire when you were learning?