Author Topic: Bees don't like wired wax frames? chewing it out (Read 17692 times)

Jen · « **on:** April 07, 2014, 12:42:13 pm »

Great News and Weird News! the great news is I did get into the first swarm hive yesterday evening, this is my mother queen, I Love Her! she sure keeps me on my toes.

Plenty of brood, eggs, larvae, bees are very content. No queen cells! lots of wonky comb

brood

eggs

lots of larvae

Is This The Beginning Of A Queen Cup? Or Cell?

Now For The Weird News ~

It appears that the bees don't like the wires? They are chewing the wax out in squares, the squares are dropping to the bottom of the hive, BUT! they are waxing/fusing the squares onto another frame of wired wax... What the....

vossejongk · « **Reply #1 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:24:11 pm »

That's hilarious, they're like never mind you with your wired frames, we're gonna build how we want it! You got some crazy bees Jen

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barry42001 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:35:39 pm »

unfortunately that does look like a supersedure cell. don't know if that's the hive with the old queen in it or what. but that does look like a queen cell, and from its location on the face of the frame, that would be an emergency Queen cell, as opposed to the swarm cells that are usually located on the bottom third of the frame and usually there are quite a few of them as opposed to one, maybe two.

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Jen · « **Reply #3 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:37:28 pm »

Tell me about it Vosse! One thing Jen and her wonderlust bees are good at.. is keeping everyone in a constant state of confusion

barry42001 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:40:36 pm »

chewing on the foundation is not unusual, I find it usually occurs, when there's not much in the way of nectar coming in, the bees will strip foundation of Wax, and repurpose it somewhere else. can do yourself a favor for god sake, get new genetics in your hives, and if you can remember where you got those bees lol try to forget so you won't go back;D

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blueblood · « **Reply #5 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:43:34 pm »

Nice photos. I like the tight brood pattern and the one of the eggs. I always figured my bees were hard up for natural resources when they started eating my foundation.

barry42001 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:44:00 pm »

Lol you or Jen may want to take a look and see if that queen cell has anything in it. if it does then your colony has other issues a failing old queen, something. I keep coming back to genetics. and just remember no matter how much work they gave you beekeeping is fun:-\

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Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** April 07, 2014, 01:54:52 pm »

Barry- ""unfortunately that does look like a supersedure cell. don't know if that's the hive with the old queen in it or what.""

This cell is in the first swarm hive. I'm going into the mother hive this afternoon to see what the heck is going on. Should I go back into the swarm hive and pull that queen cell?

Jen · « **Reply #8 on:** April 07, 2014, 02:03:46 pm »

Barry - ""can do yourself a favor for god sake, get new genetics in your hives,""

Cracks me up everytime you say 'for god sake'. You see I'm stuck between a rock here with hubby. He likes the fact that we have such prolific bees, but he's not taking into account that they are all in constant state of 'get the hot outa here!' He has put as much cash and building as I have tending the hives. I have to take his opinion into accont here.

Jen · « **Reply #9 on:** April 07, 2014, 02:33:40 pm »

If the bees need resources could I put in a winter pattie? I am feeding them 1-1 syrup with a bit of hbh in it...

barry42001 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2014, 02:35:08 pm »

everything depends on what you want these hives for... if these hives all generate honey for you this year, which frankly I doubt but if they do, you will have more honey than you possibly can know what to do with. it on the other hand you want the bees not for the generation of honey, but something neat to look at, but just want a fraction of the honey they are capable of producing then thats fine to but you risk swarm chasing.

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barry42001 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2014, 02:36:02 pm »

and of course you can feed them if they take it

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LazyBkpr · « **Reply #12 on:** April 07, 2014, 03:28:07 pm »

Seems I recall someone of notice speaking about how the old queen is not allowed to enter the promised land because they usually replace her once they are established. Often resulting in two queens in the hive for some amount of time.
Often by doing an AS we bypass that desire right along with their desire to swarm..
I'll have to pay more attention. Maybe start marking my queens to find out for myself.

I would say to leave it, but instead I am going to also say SLAP HUBBY.. or make a deal

get two or three queens ordered! Queens are less than the cost of a sheet of plywood.

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2014, 03:51:11 pm »

Often by doing an AS we bypass that desire right along with their desire to swarm..

Remind me please... what is AS Thanks

barry42001 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2014, 05:11:50 pm »

Think you may have to up the ante and think in terms of hours not minutes, Jen :-*

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LazyBkpr · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2014, 06:34:10 pm »

LOL...

and..
AS = Artificial Swarm... IE; Pulling the queen and some brood/bees to make a nuc and give the old hive a new queen.

As far as them making wonky comb... How much room do they have between frames? The frames up tight together and have foundation in them?

riverbee · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2014, 07:19:16 pm »

jen, it is not about the foundation, or any foundation. bees will strip the wax from any foundation, and from beeswax foundation right to and around the wire, when there is little or no flow on, or when you have given them too much foundation to draw without feeding them 1:1 syrup. the best time to give them foundation and get them to draw it out, irregardless of the type of foundation is in the spring. feeding them 1:1 syrup will help them draw it out, so they are stripping it to use elsewhere. if you are feeding them and they are still stripping it, my guess is too much foundation all at once to draw. don't feed them winter patties. just keep 1:1 syrup on until all of the foundation is drawn.

Jen · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2014, 10:12:40 pm »

Riv- ""if you are feeding them and they are still stripping it, my guess is too much foundation all at once to draw. don't feed them winter patties. just keep 1:1 syrup on until all of the foundation is drawn.""

This makes a lot of sense! And Yes! I have been feeding them since the first swarm 1:1.

Thanks!

Jen · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2014, 10:24:04 pm »

Scott- "" As far as them making wonky comb... How much room do they have between frames? The frames up tight together and have foundation in them?""

Oooooh! bonk head, I forgot that part about frames up tight. I have them (10) spaced equally apart. And let's see.... leave them tight until they are drawn out, and then space them equally...

barry42001 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2014, 11:06:32 pm »

Lol age is a number, is how old one chooses to be ...release the inner teenager lol:P

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