Jen's Swarmy Bees ~ Guess What?!

[Jen]

I know, I know... yawnsville right?

6th swarm, but this one is from the 2nd cast swarm, not the mother hive as usual. I'm back to two hives now of which we were pretty certain (??eh hem) that they were strong and happy, lots of eggs, larvae of diff stages, saw the queen, plenty of room.

Whatever! siiigh

First!! Let me say this, hubby and I returned home yesterday from a nice two night trip to the coast. We talked a lot about how we are going to proceed with this swarming problem. He is not wanting to switch out the genetics with new queens. I'm seeing that we have a serious problem with genetic swarming here, and have known so for awhile, but was not getting hubs convinced. We discussed making nucs, switching queens, splitting, adding more supers, the whole shabang. He still didn't want to switch out the queen. And now it may be too late in the year to buy new queens.

So, hubby sticks his head in the back door today, and yells 'Jennifer! Better Come Out Here, You're Not Going To Like It!'

We were standing watching yet the 6th swarm, and hubby says "Well maybe we better switch out these queens..."

I came around, after he picked up my limp body from the ground and applied ice to my head. I'll be calling Old Sol tomorrow morning and ordering new queens.

Input welcome 

[Woody Roberts]

I can't think of anything to say.

[Jen]

LOL! I don't know what to say either Woody! 

[LazyBkpr]

Oh for heavens sake Jen..
   I have honestly hit a hive or two that would NOT take no for an answer when it came to swarming.. I even split One of them down into nuc's, but made the mistake of leaving the original queen in the original hive, though it was reduced to a single box with comb and a new box above it with about half drawn comb...    they swarmed, left the hive without any ability to make a queen, not that there were enough bees left anyhow...
   So I try really hard to make a few nuc's in the spring and open the brood chamber up while giving the original hive a new young queen. I have pretty good success until I meet bees that are apparently of the same genetic line yours are.
   I believe swarming is a good thing. Bees SHOULD swarm, or at least want to swarm, thats how they expand in the wild, and we really need at least a few swarms escaping now and then, both to remind us to stay on our toes and to go feral, repopulating the locations mites have depopulated.   However...  they also need to be manageable. Those bees are going to give you a heart attack...

   So..  were they drawing comb?
   They didnt have what comb they had filled with syrup?
   Did they have enough room to expand?     etc etc...  all the standard why did they swarm questions...  I expect that you did everything possible and they still swarmed...

[Jen]

Dear Scott,
  I hope this letter finds you well and happy. How is the family, fine I hope. I am fine, except for this pressure in my chest, and my left arm is a little achy.

I do hope you read my last letter saying that hubby is now seeing the need for some sort of environmental change within our hives, and has consented to new queens. My only concern is if I can find queens this time of year. Wish me luck.

I hope you are enjoying warmer weather, talk to you soon.

Most Sincerely,
Jen ~ and her wanderlust bees

[LazyBkpr]

LOL Jen.
   Getting queens shouldn't be too hard as long as you do not need them TOMORROW!!!!
    Actually, you sort of need them about 4 weeks ago...  but do some looking and make some calls and find good queens. If you have to wait a week or three to get them then do it.
   

   Dear Jen;
   I really wish you lived closer so I could look in those hives and "SEE" what the heck is going on..
   Sincerely,
   Scott

[Jen]

Dear Jen;
   I really wish you lived closer so I could look in those hives and "SEE" what the heck is going on..
   Sincerely,
   Scott

Dear Scott,
   That would be the bee's knees! And I can't afford a plane ticket at this time with hubby off of work all winter, and needless to say, the reaction he would have if I pulled up in the driveway from the airport with another man in a bee suit 

Thank you for that kind offer tho

Regards,
Jen


 

[barry42001]

Jen, I am beginning to believe that you're enjoying the cardiovascular exercise.....

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[Jen]

 Barry I was down to two hives a week ago, everything seemed peachy. This last week I had a mental moment that I might get some honey this year and was preparing to put on another super on each hive. I think your right Barry, I just keep getting exercise instead ~ what's up with THAT!

[apisbees]

I know you are providing them with new comb to pull. Are you still feeding them to stimulate comb building? and if so are the building comb and allowing the queen to lay in it, Filling it with syrup and nectar, Or ignoring it.
a swarm should not have re-swarmed in 30 days This means the hive was congested just before the time of the first bee hatch out at 21 days. all the cells were full of mostly capped larva and with not as much open brood to feed they would be storing syrup or nectar in the cells limiting the queens laying ability even more.

[barry42001]

look at it this way Jen, with all the good exercise and calories you're burning now even if you get no honey, you'll surely be able to have sugar syrup because you'll be needing to make so much lol:D

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[lazy shooter]

Jen:

I'm assuming the below statement was "tongue in cheek."  To say the least, I hope it was.

"I am fine, except for this pressure in my chest, and my left arm is a little achy."

There's an old fellow in town that kept bees for decades.  He never bought a single bee.  His bees started with swarms.  He says "there are bees that grow bees and there are bees that produce honey."  He kept what he called "swarm bees" for pollination of cantaloup and watermelon. 

[Jen]

Mornin lazy    so far so good with my ticker, thanks for your concern.

Last year I had bees, the same hive, that made more and more bees. This year the same hive has swarmed to a point of great concern for us. After yesterdays swarm from a swarm, I feel I'm losing them. I really don't want to start over.

Making a call to Old Sol today and purchase some queens.

[LazyBkpr]

Me;
   So..  were they drawing comb?
   They didnt have what comb they had filled with syrup?
   Did they have enough room to expand?     etc etc...  all the standard why did they swarm questions...

   Apisbees;
  I know you are providing them with new comb to pull. Are you still feeding them to stimulate comb building? and if so are the building comb and allowing the queen to lay in it, Filling it with syrup and nectar, Or ignoring it.
a swarm should not have re-swarmed in 30 days This means the hive was congested just before the time of the first bee hatch out at 21 days. all the cells were full of mostly capped larva and with not as much open brood to feed they would be storing syrup or nectar in the cells limiting the queens laying ability even more.

   This is why i want to be able to look so badly..  are they filling the newly made comb with syrup? What is causing them to swarm again in such a manner?   In such a short time there has to be something untoward happening..   Those cells filled with nectar almost look to me as if they are back filled with nectar AFTER having pollen put into them?  I really don't know...    this is as bad as answering questions about engines and racing on another forum..  without being able to get my itchy fingers in there it is really HARD to answer and feel confident.

[Jen]

Scott! here are all the pics I saved when inspecting the swarm hive that swarmed yesterday. these were taken on Monday the 14th, so only a week ago.

Pulled Comb


Brood, Comb, Larvae


Capped brood, larvae along the bottom of frame


Queen and nectar






Blurry, but thought the drone brood, if that's what these are, more bullet than usual, shrug

[jb63]

Hi Jen, you might try old soul in southern Oregon for queens.

[LazyBkpr]

hrm...   I dont see anything terrible. Looks like they had room.  I don't like it when I see drone brood popping in the middle of worker brood like that, but...  new queen its hard to tell what is going on..

  I did notice in pic #5 just left of center, one bee trying to suffocate the other one...   Has its head down in the cell while another bee has its shoulder tucked in PUSHING while yelling DIE!!!!!  Might be some discontent in the hive.
   Seriously though looking at those pics I wouldnt be worried unless the drone cells started popping up more frequently.

[Jen]

Hi jb- I called them today, they won't have queens ready until mid June. Thanks tho 

[Jen]

 Scott ""hrm...   I dont see anything terrible. Looks like they had room."" and  ""Seriously though looking at those pics I wouldnt be worried unless the drone cells started popping up more frequently""

Well I'm glad to hear that from someone who can read frames, cause that tells me that I'm getting better at it myself, because I haven't a clue why swarm hive swarmed ~ Thanks Scott!