Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Jen on April 14, 2014, 03:28:24 pm

Title: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: Jen on April 14, 2014, 03:28:24 pm
Yesterday I posted a thread on the cells in my swarm hive. Comments came back that the queen doesn't appear to be laying right. So here's some more pics. Appreciate your input  :)

wax moth worm/larvae found trying to wiggle it's way under the lid
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs13.postimg.cc%2Fmk9e0txoz%2FDSCF9252.jpg&hash=ee2258ba34c76b663c6c4631dd7069ea2d37eabf) (http://postimg.cc/image/mk9e0txoz/)

new wood/wired wax being pulled nicely
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs23.postimg.cc%2Fyhfe2lzxz%2FDSCF9262.jpg&hash=404b1cf6e34245efba7770414066bdac5de0114c) (http://postimg.cc/image/yhfe2lzxz/)

one lone larva and patchy brood
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs4.postimg.cc%2Faa5p8617t%2FDSCF9268.jpg&hash=9f64e080be47d69c261c06d3fe78d3fc266cf7e7) (http://postimg.cc/image/aa5p8617t/)

Queen! it hurts my feelings when I know she may be destroyed  :sad:
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs21.postimg.cc%2Fq12t0trcz%2FDSCF9274.jpg&hash=dc6fc72ec4a6afc90862ee4f78df5fd501c4397f) (http://postimg.cc/image/q12t0trcz/)

Scraped a bunch of thick drone brood off of the bottom of the frames
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs15.postimg.cc%2F6434ovv0n%2FDSCF9266.jpg&hash=1d38b028188b51e7339c75b191a5b203d90dc3c6) (http://postimg.cc/image/6434ovv0n/)

Carnage! ~ Boy! the bees sure don't like when there is drone juice squirting all over ~ BLECH!
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs16.postimg.cc%2F8oddfudlt%2FDSCF9283.jpg&hash=941cfcf3b5b0b1b516997ac2ce29c9e743092b52) (http://postimg.cc/image/8oddfudlt/)

A full frame of brood, but some of it might be capped honey, this frame looks pretty good to me?
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.postimg.cc%2Ffhu33ro7p%2FDSCF9271.jpg&hash=836ee6846528b4b8e66554c962dbbc72113dde20) (http://postimg.cc/image/fhu33ro7p/)
Title: Re: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: Perry on April 14, 2014, 03:34:00 pm
Relax, if that last frame is from this hive you have a nice looking frame of brood and what appears to be a decent queen.
Title: Re: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: Jen on April 14, 2014, 03:36:51 pm
Perry! kisshug  patpatpat   ;D
Title: Re: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: LazyBkpr on April 14, 2014, 08:29:57 pm
Indeed!  Thats a nice looking frame right there.
Title: Re: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: Dunkel on April 14, 2014, 09:56:23 pm
Nice pattern Jen. Nothing to worry about there.  Well I guess there is always something to worry about.  Enough room, enough supers etc.,  that's the fun thing about beekeeping. It's always no matter what's going on you are always asking  "Now what do I do next?"
Title: Re: Jen's swarm hive inspection overview w/pics
Post by: pistolpete on April 14, 2014, 10:19:34 pm
the third picture down where you say you have patchy brood:  you have to take into account that this is near the edge of the frame.   A normal brood pattern is a circle or crescent of brood occupying the middle 60 to 80% of the frame.  The margins are left empty for nectar and pollen storage.   The hive and queen has to be super strong to get edge to edge brood.   The queen looks nice and big and symmetrical, if you decide to put up with the swarm happy genetics, give her a chance.

O another note:  Drones are good for hive morale.  The girls get a bit depressed with no boys around.  So you don't want to eliminate drone brood entirely.    Because you are supplying them with 100% worker sized foundation, they take every chance they can to build a few drone cells.   They can only do so at the edges of frames, which is why you see a few scattered drone cells there.