Author Topic: WHOOO HOOO! (Read 57780 times)

Slowmodem · « **Reply #60 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:03:32 pm »

I really hope you can get satisfaction from this supplier. Hopefully, this supplier will learn from this. If he doesn't, his business will suffer.

Proverbs 22:1 Choose a good reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

Jen · « **Reply #61 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:09:02 pm »

Zweef- ""He told me if I couldn't get them to him tonight, perhaps we could meet at the interstate exit ( he was passing my way to make the exchange) at 4:45 AM.""

I dunno about this part Zweef, sounds creepy to me, if you do exchange on the interstate exit, I hope you have a couple other people with you ~

And, if I were the supplier, I would 'add' additional bees, not exchange.

Zweefer · « **Reply #62 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:17:33 pm »

Well see what is said tomorrow...

iddee · « **Reply #63 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:25:45 pm »

If you exchange, take your hives and empty nuc boxes. Let him put them in the nuc boxes and you and him put the new ones in your hives. Have him show you each one and the queen. Be sure you have the entrances screened well if you don't have a pickup truck.

Zweefer · « **Reply #64 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:32:38 pm »

Thanks iddee. To be honest I'm not sure what to expect. I am hoping he will do the right thing and make good, but the more I sit and stew the less likely I think it will happen...

iddee · « **Reply #65 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:36:15 pm »

Also, read reply #59 about 6 times, then read it again. It means a lot.

Jen · « **Reply #66 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:46:22 pm »

Yah! And re-read reply #61. Can't help it, it's the mother hen in me

Zweefer · « **Reply #67 on:** May 19, 2014, 09:53:11 pm »

Agreed.

pistolpete · « **Reply #68 on:** May 19, 2014, 10:16:44 pm »

If things don't turn out well with getting better Nucs, here are some thoughts on salvaging what you have. 1) even a colony with one frame of brood can make it to full strength if they have a good queen. The difference is time. A very strong Nuc will draw out 15 frames and start producing surplus honey by the end of June. A weak Nuc will take until September to do the same. 2) combining the two Nucs to make one reasonable one will be better than having 2 that languish. 3) If you want to baby the two of them separately, make a styrofoam follower board. this is a piece of styrofoam that fits snugly into a deep box and allows you to reduce the space in the hive. Reduce them to 5 frames until they get stronger, then expand 2 frames at a time. 4) keep feeding them until they won't take any feed (this might be a couple of months).

CpnObvious · « **Reply #69 on:** May 19, 2014, 11:12:01 pm »

Zweefer, sorry to read this has happened. It's just not right... But I'll hold out hope for ya. Between the folks here (and what should be good business sense from the supplier) I'm sure you'll do just fine!

Jen,
Patch's hearing is just fine. Actually, it sometimes seems "too" good. I love my dogs, they are truly part of the family... But seriously... Chasing and chewing on stinging insects... DUH! Lol.

apisbees · « **Reply #70 on:** May 20, 2014, 04:09:13 pm »

On post #42 the pictures of the comb it looks like the bees have salvaged the wax off the comb and they will be reluctant to draw the comb out further unless some wax is rubbed on to the bare plastic to encourage the bees
Pete has a good point above about combining the work force of the 2 nucs. I would not do a conventional combine if both queen are in the nucs and are laying. I would use a in hive feeder in the strongest nuc place an inner cover with a screen on each side of the feeder hole placed on top with the entrance notch facing up and out to the back of the hive. Next I would place the weaker nuc on top. and let them build up till one was a full box of bees then remove the screened inner cover and place a queen excluder over the bottom single then a honey super followed by another queen excluder then the second brood chamber. I would give them a week then place a queen excluder on top of the top colony followed by a super. I have done this with small splits and have had great honey crops from them.

Jen · « **Reply #71 on:** May 20, 2014, 09:45:57 pm »

Apis On post #42 the pictures of the comb it looks like the bees have salvaged the wax off the comb and they will be reluctant to draw the comb out further unless some wax is rubbed on to the bare plastic to encourage the bees""

I like this idea, but I don't think Zweef has any surplus wax"" I do know that he could get some pure beeswax off of Amazon, then he could melt it down and paint it on with a paint brush.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #72 on:** May 20, 2014, 09:54:07 pm »

News Zweef?
I wish I was set up a bit better. All my nucs are growing rapidly into hives.. if the situation isn't resolved, when I do summer splits I will order a couple of those cardboard nucs and overnight them. I am still a bit steamed.... waiting on news.

Zweefer · « **Reply #73 on:** May 20, 2014, 10:22:20 pm »

thank you all for the kind words and especially of the offer Lazy.

I waited all day for a call that never came. Finally at 5 PM I called and left a message on their machine. they called back at 6, but didn't have the right name. it took him a couple of tries to get that I was who i was and not some other person (whom i think he was trying to call). He offered me 5 frames of brood full of bees for each nuc to supplement what i had already.

I told him i would accept if the frames had all three stages on them - eggs, larvae and sealed brood. he tried to tell me that what he had was mostly sealed brood, and that would be good enough, but when the conversation ended it was clearly known what I was expecting

The good news is I went into the hives tonight and found that i did in fact have a laying queen in each (didn't see either of them, but found eggs and larvae in various stages. so there is hope. I will get the frames tomorrow morning and add them to the hives.

Sucks that i need to take another three hours out of my day (assuming it doesn't take very long to load the frames and bees), but if it ends this fiasco, it may be worth it. I am eagerly awaiting to see what gems of frames and drawn comb i receive this time

In honor of Lazy to calm my nerves I am currently enjoying some coca-cola and sailor jerry. heavy on the latter

iddee · « **Reply #74 on:** May 20, 2014, 10:27:10 pm »

Did you discuss what you were going to transport them in?

Zweefer · « **Reply #75 on:** May 20, 2014, 10:44:23 pm »

I will be bringing my nuc boxes back and we will load them in that.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #76 on:** May 20, 2014, 11:11:44 pm »

Good!
The frames , if they have even mildly decent drawn comb will be a big boost along with the bees on them. Did you discuss the combine?

Jen · « **Reply #77 on:** May 20, 2014, 11:20:24 pm »

I Am On The Edge Of My Chair! So proud of you Zweef !!

Zweefer · « **Reply #78 on:** May 20, 2014, 11:30:18 pm »

Quote from: LazyBkpr on May 20, 2014, 11:11:44 pm

... Did you discuss the combine?

No. I will have to do that here, as I was advised not to disturb my hive any more than I already have (been in it too much since installing them, and will have to go back in again tomorrow!) I will remove the frames that are the worst (that one with white foundation and not much else comes to mind) and put these in... unless I'm missing something?

Plus, I'm not sure I'd even be willing to listen to any advice this particular individual has to offer...

Zweefer · « **Reply #79 on:** May 20, 2014, 11:45:53 pm »

As I sit here and think, it occurs to me I might have a different issue to contend with... with the addition of five frames of brood and bees, making in theory eight-ish that leaves two-ish frames of drawn combs in each of my deeps- wouldn't that be about the time to add my second deep? How do i know when this is to happen if I am artificially accelerating the frames being used, and the others are as weak as they are?

as an aside - I hope the other first time beeks are having a better go than me thus far - and that Cpn is rewarded for all his hard work with pristine packages!