Author Topic: Hive inspection  (Read 5537 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline lethargicdoc

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 10
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: South Mississippi
Re: Hive inspection
« Reply #20 on: June 14, 2019, 11:30:45 am »
NO, NO, NO. Removing queen cells and adding space "OUTSIDE THE BROOD NEST: will not prevent swarming. If not already there, place the empty frame in the brood nest.
Also, I have never known a hive to swarm and leave only 1 queen cell.  Check in 5 or 6 days, looking for several queen cells. Otherwise, your idea looks good.

Ok I checked today.  I had removed only 1 frame but they have 3 frames with very little on them.  Today they had 2 queen cells but these were in the center of the frame.  I think I queen is week.  I saw some very young brood but also quite a few empty cells.  I think  they want to superceede her.  Should I remove more frames and replace with empties to be sure they have enough space. I can't check them for 2 weeks now.  Thanks.

Offline lethargicdoc

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 10
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: South Mississippi
Re: Hive inspection
« Reply #21 on: June 14, 2019, 11:32:46 am »
well what Iddee said... if you suspect swarming the simplest policy is to remove the existing queens and 4 or 5 frames in the form of a nuc... set this aside but not too far away and if the queen cell in the older hive does not make it to a laying queen (there is some significant natural failure rate here) you can always add back the old queen in the form of a paper combine...

The problem is I can not find the queen in this hive.  I can find the queen in my other 2 hive but not his one.   :'(

Offline lethargicdoc

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 10
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: South Mississippi
Re: Hive inspection
« Reply #22 on: June 14, 2019, 11:38:35 am »
I hope y'all aren't getting tired of helping me.  I really appreciate all you help.

Ok bee friends I need expert opinions please.  I have a hive that I got as a nuc this year.  It now has 2 deeps and a deep honey super.  I have never been able to find the queen or see eggs in this hive.  Today I saw some very young c- shaped larva.  But not many.  There is also capped brood.  There are 3 frames that are only partially built on in the 2 lower boxes.  I removed a swarm cell (entire frame) from this hive 6 days ago and added the honey supper and an empty frame.  Today I saw 2 supersedure queen cells.  I left them I think the queen may be week bc I saw a lot of empty cells (unless there were eggs I just wasn’t seeing).  Do y’all think I handled that right?  Should I add eggs in a queen cell from another hive.  I can check on them for 2 weeks.

My next hive is a swarm I caught 3 weeks ago.  2 weeks ago the queen was there and I saw eggs and larva.  Last week there was no queen or larva, only capped cells.  I added the frame from my other hive that had a swarm queen cell, some brood and capped cells.  Today the queen cell is capped.  I also added 3 queen cell cups with eggs in them from a third hive.  They have wax on 5 frames but only fully on 3.  I can not check them for 2 weeks.  Do I give them a second deep?

My third and final hive (swarm caught 2 weeks ago) has a queen laying in a good pattern with larva of all ages.  They have wax on 5 frames although not fully on all 5.  Since I can’t check on them for 2 weeks.  Should I add another deep?

Thank you all for any help you can provide.

Offline iddee

  • Administrator
  • Gold Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 6122
  • Thanked: 405 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sophia, N. C.
Re: Hive inspection
« Reply #23 on: June 14, 2019, 12:21:04 pm »
I think you have it all under control. I would not add a box to any hive that has the equivalent of one whole frame empty. One frame, even broken up, IE: 1/4 frame empty on 4 frames, it is good to go for 2 weeks. Relax and enjoy your trip, or whatever you plan for 2 weeks. All seems to be well in the Apiary.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
The following users thanked this post: lethargicdoc

Offline Green bee

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 526
  • Thanked: 47 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sophia nc
Re: Hive inspection
« Reply #24 on: June 14, 2019, 01:49:24 pm »
 :t3816:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein