My first spring hive inspection

[Marion]

Since the temperature reached 65 today and it looks like 50 -60 all week I decided to do a hive inspection. I removed everything down to the bottom board and cleaned that. A mess of dead bees and tiny wax crumbles. Then I looked in the bottom deep and it seems as though the brood ball was all in the top deep so I switched them, brood ball on the bottom. Then I removed two frames loaded with honey and replaced them with unworked foundation because that is all I have. I did not mess with the brood ball. I put the second deep on top and removed two more frames loaded with honey and replaced them with unworked foundation and lined up two older frames that were empty with the new ones. My thinking is to provide room for more brood. I put a honey super on top. Kept the pollen patty and added some 1:1 syrup. I put a varoa mite chart in the bottom board to check. My concern is did I leave enough empty foundation for the queen? Should I have removed more honey frames?  I am keeping the honey frames in a clean sealed plastic tote until such time as I split my hive, which I am hoping to do at the beginning of May.

[riverbee]

marion, i would have left in the two frames of honey, even though you are feeding them. they will need and utilize any honey that is remaining, and honey frames are usually to the outside and the queen does not lay in these frames.
where did you place the undrawn frames of foundation? 

the pollen patty is fine, did you see bees bringing in any pollen?

[Marion]

I am seeing very little to no pollen at this time. There are still 8 frames of honey in there. I put one new frame in the middle of the bottom deep. The brood is to the right of it. Another new frame in the next to last spot on the left. Two drawn but empty frames in the middle of the upper deep and a new one on each side of them. The rest of them are full of honey.

[riverbee]

marion, i wouldn't place undrawn foundation in the middle of the broodnest of the first deep even if the brood is to the right of it.  this will inhibit and restrict the queen from laying and the bees may not draw this out right now.  it is in effect a 'barrier', and the queen  will not cross that barrier to expand laying, i would move it out and up to the top and replace it with drawn foundation.  8 frames of  honey.....make sure the bees have frames of honey towards the outsides of the bottom and top deeps, leaving the center open. where are the 8 frames located?

EDIT AND ADD:
my apologies i just re-read what you said about the location of the honey frames:
"Two drawn but empty frames in the middle of the upper deep and a new one on each side of them. The rest of them are full of honey."
so 4 and 4..... two empty drawn in the center, foundation on the outside of these and honey to the outside of these.  i would leave those honey frames (4) in there for now. are there any honey frames in the bottom?

[iddee]

Thank you, rb. I was thinking you missed something in the reading. I think Marion did a beautiful job and all is well with her hive.

[riverbee]

i did goof and marion you are doing great!  the only thing i wouldn't do is place undrawn foundation in the center of the bottom deep.....

[Marion]

Yes, I've been thinking that unworked frame in the bottom box is in the wrong place. I was trying to give her an empty one. I don't have any other frames that are already worked except the two in the middle of the upper deep. I will move it to next to the outer edge. I noticed white and light yellow pollen coming in today. They were around the crocuses.

[riverbee]

great pic marion!

ours too now, also tulips, daffodils, and siberian squill just the last few days, spring is finally here!

[LazyBkpr]

does the "empty" frame have foundation in it?  I install empties in the brood nest every so often, but they are EMPTY with no foundation, so the queen doesnt see a "wall", just a spot that needs new comb!

[Marion]

Yes, they have foundation. I only have frames with unworked foundation. I am going back in Thursday and moving the unworked frames toward the outside and I am going to move the brood ball to the middle of the bottom deep and take a look at it at the same time. This is something I have not done yet. I've thought better leave well enough alone. Well, I'm getting more confident and I want to see what is in the brood ball. Maybe I will see the queen.

[Colobee]

I'd be tempted to leave that super off until the bees have filled out the new upper brood box about 80%. As it's been a couple weeks since your post - how's it been going?

[Marion]

I ended up removing the super because I treated my hive with MAQS. Killed a lot of mites with it. After a week I removed the strips and put the honey supers back on. I don't want to miss anything. In a couple of weeks the dandelions will be popping. In spite of the chilly weather, they have been bringing in pollen.

[Jen]

Great! They will be happily foraging without mites on them, perfect timing 

[Marion]

I learned at our beekeeper's association meeting, that when using the MAQS the temperature should be in the 70s. It was in the 40 and 50s when I treated mine. But I did get a couple hundred mites. I now have the equipment and materials to do the vapor treatment which they may need later. I think the MAQS would be better used in the fall and the vapor in the spring. I also learned about a drone comb (green plastic frame) which can capture mites as well. I have to read up on that.

I was worried that I have not seen a lot of bees around the hive. The last time I did an inspection a couple of weeks ago I did not see any brood. I was worried that I may not have a queen. Yesterday I did another hive inspection and felt calm doing it. I plan on wearing the white beekeeper's suit every time because it makes me more secure. Anyway, my goal for the inspection was to either find the queen or evidence that there is one. I carefully went down to the bottom deep and looked at each frame in that box. I saw pollen and shiny clear fluid which I thought was uncapped honey. I also saw capped worker brood and larva. I did not see the queen but I do know there is one and there are a lot of bees in there. I did not see drone brood unless it was on a frame I did not inspect.

[riverbee]

"my goal for the inspection was to either find the queen or evidence that there is one. I carefully went down to the bottom deep and looked at each frame in that box. I saw pollen and shiny clear fluid which I thought was uncapped honey. I also saw capped worker brood and larva. I did not see the queen but I do know there is one and there are a lot of bees in there. I did not see drone brood unless it was on a frame I did not inspect."

marion, you are doing great. like you said, it is not that we need to find the queen, but the evidence that she is there and laying when we see eggs, larvae, capped brood, AND a good solid laying pattern on the frames.