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Author Topic: SO much going on, I'm lost!  (Read 2720 times)

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Offline CpnObvious

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SO much going on, I'm lost!
« on: September 07, 2015, 09:45:53 am »
We went through the Phillipston hives yesterday... Boy! Am I lost!

P5: Plenty of honey, lots of capped brood, no eggs, at least 8-10 swarm cells (fully capped queen cells on the bottom of the upper frames), one capped queen cell in the middle of an upper frame (but toward one side), one bee was riding the queen around stabbing her with her stinger....!

P4: Top deep completely loaded with honey, hive overflowing with bees, unfortunately we didn't have a honey super on here.  We added one just to give the bees more space for now.

P3: She thinks their butts were dragging and they seemed to be moving kind of slow.  I'm not sure I disagree, but I have no idea what to make of it.

P2 (8-frame nuc): 2 frames still need to be drawn, plenty of capped brood/larva, no honey, no eggs

P1: Lots of honey & building up stores, 6 frames undrawn, looks like some robbing had taken place, 4 drawn but empty frames

This is when I wish some of you were around the corner.  I really need another set of eyes in here.
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Offline Perry

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Re: SO much going on, I'm lost!
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2015, 11:10:36 am »
P5, pretty much leave it alone for now. If they have frames of honey they can spare, swipe a few.
P4, swipe a few frames of capped honey and replace with foundation (or empty frame of comb from P1).
P3, not sure what to make of it, need more info.
P2, drop in some frames of capped honey from P5 or P4.
P1, maybe pinch a frame of empty comb (or 2) and place in P4.

Just my take for what it's worth. ;D
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"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."      
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Offline CpnObvious

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Re: SO much going on, I'm lost!
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2015, 11:28:49 am »
Thoughts on why they'd be killing their queen?
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Offline Perry

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Re: SO much going on, I'm lost!
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2015, 02:08:45 pm »
Are you sure she is the original queen? She may be one of many replacements and the bees have already accepted another?
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Offline CpnObvious

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Re: SO much going on, I'm lost!
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2015, 03:28:17 pm »
 Nope, I'm not sure. There's a whiole lot of different things going on in each hive and I have been bothering them as much as I have in the past.  This has proven to be both good, and bad, depending on the hive...  I'm sure I've missed out on so serious honey production out of at least one of the hives!  P4 was a new package this year... And boy, have they'd done wonders!
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