WHOOO HOOO!

[Jen]

Good question!

[Zweefer]

have had time to sit and upload some photos my kid took during tonight's inspection for the queen or proof there of.  I didn't find her majesty in either hive, so I thought it would be a fun exercise if I posted all the photos taken to see if anyone else can see them - some of the pictures are a bit blurry - I apologize.  Need to teach that boy how to use my camera a bit better i think.

Sorry to those who use the mobile method - this may take a bit to load.   For ease of discussion I'll label each photo below it...

Right Hive (#1) :



1-1


1-2


1-3


1-4


1-5


1-6


1-7


1-8


1-9


1-10

Left Hive (#2) :



2-1 so much for the nucs coming from Texas - Kendal WI is south, but only by a little over an hour for me...


2-2


2-3


2-4


2-5


2-6


2-7


2-8


2-9


2-10


2-11


2-12


2-13

[Jen]

Very first pic 1-1, in the middle and to the right just a bit, it looks like the bees are surrounding something, they do that with queens. Just an observation so far ~

[Jen]

Second pic down #1-2, left edge 2/3 way down, in about two inches, I think that may be a queen.

[Zweefer]

I think you may be right!

[Jen]

On which one Zweef?

[Zweefer]

1-2

[Jen]

Okay, I've done my best, I think #1-2 has a queen in there. Anybody else find a queen for Zweefer?

[pistolpete]

Jen is right on the queen spotting.

After seeing all your frames, I'd say you're not in dire straights.  When you kind of mentally add up all the brood and bees, you get 2 frames of bees and brood in each Nuc.   That's enough to have them continue to build.  The main problem is that there are not enough bees to cover all the brood and some may get chilled. 

 The guy was right: frames of capped brood are preferable to frames with open brood or mixed brood.   Capped brood requires no further resources from the hive (other than heat).  Capped brood will soon emerge and give you the nurse bees you need.    Actually just an extra pound of bees for each Nuc would give them the boost they need.    I would not throw out any of those frames.  At this stage an old frame or a partially drawn frame is still better than foundation.  cycle out the frames you don't like early next spring when the bees are all in the top box.

I would highly recommend that you keep your cool and just take what the supplier gives you.  Seems like he's willing to give you 2 more Nucs (without queens) for free.  Don't get picky with what the frames look like and what's on them.  Really you just need more bees.

The time to add a second box is when 8 of the 10 frames in the first one are full of bees.    Too much room can get them de-moralised. 

[blueblood]

Yeap, my eyes were drawn to it immediately.  Darker, larger, less hairy thorax.  Larger abdomen. Good job Jen!  She looks very similar to the queen I found in my trapped bees this week with the black tip: http://postimg.cc/image/ywe4qv1b3/ 

Z, I have found it helpful to spot the queen by movement versus appearance.  Appearance is a secondary identification for me.  She will be boot scootin and most often diving under worker bees or passing over a frame edge to the other side like Darth Vader (couldn't resist  ).  If I think she is using other bees for cover, I gently blow on them and watch her scatter.  Another helpful hint is to block the sun with your back momentarily until you spot her.  Queenie doesn't dig the sun light and will dart away faster as I have noticed.

[tbonekel]

Great jobs on the queen spotting! I have one question about the foundation though. In some of the pictures, those things are really white (2-2). Is that how they come? Any foundation that I have bought is yellow from the wax coating. When I have had frames that the bees really have trouble building on, they are white just like yours. It takes them forever to finally draw them out. I know there is discussion from another thread about bees moving wax to use elsewhere and that they don't tend to do it, but in my case, when I put in yellow foundation and it turns white, that tells me the bees don't like it.

[Zweefer]

That is how my honey / pollen frame came :(   I couldn't tell you if it was originally white or yellow... I'm going to be ditching it in about 4 hours anyways

[Zweefer]

For those of you may have the pleasure of dealing with the wonderful Dale Wolf of Wolf Honey Farms in Baldwin WI, this is what you can expect - keep in mind I had his personal assurance that he had inspected these and they were full of brood and full of bees. He even took the liberty of capping the supplemental nuc for me so they wouldn't all get out! How nice is that? You can bet I will be getting my money back, as well as making sure no one I know will ever do business with this dealer again.
Look at the great supplemental frames i was given...

[Zweefer]

In fact, I am making this a separate post in case Admins wish to delete but if you are so inclined as to help me personally thank him for the wonderful customer service he has given me and probably every other person who ordered from him his phone number is 715–684–2095 or you can email him at dwhoney@baldwin-telecom.net

[Jen]

What a sorry story these frames are! Shame shame shame!

Zweefer- I really liked what Pete had to say, I too felt like there was hope, and I still feel that way. Stay close to this forum, we will help get your bees thru!

And I don't see any problem with naming the culprits who are at fault! You were the chosen tool to bust them! Bravo!

[riverbee]

" Seems like he's willing to give you 2 more Nucs (without queens) for free.'

guess i wouldn't be charging anyone for my dishonesty or any misrepresentation either.......
especially since zweefer is the beek primarily affected both financially and otherwise, and two long distance trips to baldwin and back.
zweefer, i suspect that what you received this 2nd time around were rejects that were brought back by other beeks?

like jen said, we can help you get your bees squared away!

[CpnObvious]

I feel for ya, Zweef.  I won't necessarily be much informational support, but I'll help you through empathy and moral support.  On the bright side, you got your bees, some partially drawn frames, and a great support team here.  I know you'll do just fine.

If all else fails, I can send you a 2x3 (2x4s are too hard to swing, or so I've, uhhhmmm, heard) with a bunch of nails sticking through one end and you can make his sorry for what he's put you through.

[Jen]

I think the effort of putting him out of business would be sufficient ~

[CpnObvious]

Oh.

[riverbee]

i think like scott and iddee have said.....diplomacy, being firm and keeping your cool is a good thing when business deals go badly, and not bend down to their level of not being on the same planet as the rest of us.  in spite of what zweefer has been through, the experience will serve to developing skills as a beekeeper, a little sooner for the situation at hand, and also helping another beek out sometime down the road. not what anyone really wants right off the start line, but it happens, and we can support him.  the internet is powerful, and also word spread through the local clubs and other beeks.  my experience has been that it is rather difficult to put someone out of business unless you are prepared to do it and spend hours/months or a year or two or three of your time doing so, and i have.  it doesn't happen overnight.
sometimes it's best just to move on.

credit to you zweefer, keeping your cool, and trying to work this out with him.  he failed. you didn't. you are a better person than he is. 

congratulations, you are officially a beekeeper now zweefer.......
guess we need to dig out a gold star.......?
dunno, can't find one right now in my photobucket acct.....wait, i think that's perrys department........
but how's this, couldn't find a gold hive tool, but it works.......
....