Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: Dunkel on April 20, 2014, 10:33:24 am
-
Well the stolen hive that lost its top in a storm has decided to swarm. I checked Friday on them. A dozen or so cells rounded off ready to cap. So yesterday between fertilizer spreader fill ups, I went in search of the queen. Found her on a brood frame, but no eggs and some older larva. She was getting ready.
I took her Nuc over to 5 others a few miles away. They had all released there queens last Sunday, but I only found 4. The last one I couldn't find her, but I found 5 capped queen cells. I had taken a frame with some uncapped brood to make it up with. That's what I get for rushing. Cold, windy, late and tired. I will check it again this evening for the queen.
Question, When should I go back in the swarming hive to split the queen cells? They were mostly on two frames so I would like to make up at least two more splits.
-
I would probably keep a close eye on them and watch when they are capped, and count that as day 9, then move them on day 13. That should give you a couple days leeway in case one was capped a day or two ahead of the others. They are normally capped at day nine and emerge on day sixteen.
-
Thanks Lazy, ;D I'll get to it either Tuesday or Wednesday. Depends on this cold front moving through tomorrow night. Trying to get some fertilizer on some hay ground before the rain. Somehow I need to teach Newtons Three Laws of Motion to 150 middle school students sometime in between. This body is in motion and I need to stay that way :D I hate spring soreness.
-
I hate spring soreness.
Oh LORD! Lets not even go there right now!! Seems that every year spring gets harder to adjust to!!! If I didnt have cabin fever after this nasty winter I'd try to stay in my chair.