Author Topic: Hive inspection #2 Surprising Lack Of Stored Nectar (Read 7499 times)

Jen · « **on:** June 19, 2014, 11:47:04 pm »

This hive is a deep and a medium on top. The medium has been on for about 3 weeks. This frame has the most pulled wax, the rest are pretty empty.

The deep... well... most of the frames look like these, capped brood, some larvae, no eggs that I could detect. And there is very little nectar and only one corner of one frame with capped honey.

Let Me Guess! Feed Feed Feed?

Gypsi · « **Reply #1 on:** June 20, 2014, 12:02:54 am »

Do you have a drought? If you do you also will have a dearth of nectar for them to gather.

If I were you I would be feeding sugar syrup, to at least get wax pulled and convince the queen to start laying again. Keep an eye on your population, if not enough bees to patrol the top box for shb / wax moth or other pests possibly go down to 1 box.

blueblood · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2014, 12:10:08 am »

Nectar in your other hives?

Jen · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2014, 12:21:33 am »

Gypsi, the entire state of California is on water restriction.

Blue, the first hive, one deep, has more nectar than this one, but it's just dawdling along, I have another post going on that one "Single Deep Nuc Dawdling Along".

I have two more to inspect next week ~

Jen · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2014, 01:38:37 am »

Would it make a difference if I add another feeding hole in the inner cover having two syrup jars per hive ?

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2014, 07:38:18 am »

Yep, I would feed that one Mrs. Jen. One jar is plenty, just keep different lids. One with five or six holes to feed fast, and one with two or three holes to feed slowly and want them to build comb and not store the syrup use the 2 or 3 hole jar lid.

riverbee · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2014, 10:34:21 am »

"Let Me Guess! Feed Feed Feed?"

...................

can't add much more to what gypsi and scott said jen, and what you already knew. did see your queen though. are there any pollen stores in this hive?

Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2014, 12:41:51 pm »

Mr. Scott - "One with five or six holes to feed fast, and one with two or three holes to feed slowly and want them to build comb and not store the syrup use the 2 or 3 hole jar lid.

five or six holes to feed fast.. because they are hungry
two or three holes.. to build

there is very little stored nectar, lots of vacant cells, doesn't this mean that they are having a hard time finding nectar?

Riv- Saw the queen she seems fine, she is actually in one of the photos. Didn't see much pollen stored either. Out of all four hives I'm not seeing much pollen coming in at this time.

CpnObvious · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2014, 02:05:52 pm »

Not trying to hijack your thread, but I have questions. Please forgive my ignorance...

What purpose to the wood frames on all your plastic frames serve?

What is the red stuff on the caps in the pic I reposted?

Why do you have a thin wire on many of you frames?

tbonekel · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2014, 03:50:24 pm »

Hey Jen, It looks to me that the queen doesn't really want to lay in the wooden framed area. Are you trying to cycle those frames out?

Garden Hive · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2014, 04:23:54 pm »

Hey there Jen,

Yes Feed them. They are hungry. There appears to be 9 frames in the deep, but not sure because the frame marks on the end rest look to be 10. I looked at the pic's rather close. I do not see pollen or very little. But not sure that you took pic's of all the frames. They do need the feed. This will stimulate the queen more, even though the numbers look fairly well, for the single deep. With feed they should draw comb in the medium, store some closer to the brood and get the boost that they need.

apisbees · « **Reply #11 on:** June 20, 2014, 09:20:30 pm »

Their is pollen and nectar being collected. remember it takes a frame worth of nectar and another or pollen for the bees to raise a frame of brood. You have a fair amount of brood in the hive. Just not an over abundant flow, or the excess population to go out and collect a surplus at this time. Over the next 12 days with the emergence of all the caped brood the hive population dynamics in the hive will change and allow more bees to become foragers.
The hive stuck on 6 frames have not had the high demand for pollen and nectar due to the smaller amount of brood being raised at this time.
Feed will not hurt them. But with the expanding population they may be OK with out it, but to be on the safe side, Yes Feed Them and see how they are in a week.

pistolpete · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2014, 09:43:42 pm »

I don't see a lack of nectar there. Looks to me like every cell above the brood is filled right up. They won't store nectar below the brood. Pollen is usually found on frames beside the brood nest, not so much in it.

Like Apis said, they used a tremendous amount of resources to get all that brood capped. In 10 days you will have almost twice as many bees in this hive as you do right now. Then things will really get going.

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2014, 09:45:27 pm »

tbone- "Hey Jen, It looks to me that the queen doesn't really want to lay in the wooden framed area. Are you trying to cycle those frames out?

As fast as I can but it's slow process. I'll be able to transfer even more in late fall when the bees go upstairs

Jen · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2014, 10:08:49 pm »

Cpn- "What purpose to the wood frames on all your plastic frames serve?

Siiiiigh ~~~ I call these frames my Frankenframes

It's a long story. My very first hive was in a queen rearing hive, it's very small as you can see by the pics. I was told it was called a patio hive, I was naive. As time went by I couldn't find components to this hive in order to expand, but all the frames were full of brood the following spring. It was suggested to me to buy a standard sized deep, and then insert the tiny frames into the standard size frames ~~~ hence the wires. I am in the constant process of slowly transfering all of them out, it might take a couple of years.

Cpn- "What is the red stuff on the caps in the pic I reposted?

Hmmm, I not seeing any red stuff on the caps. There is a redish smear on the wood edges tho, that is dried propolis.

CpnObvious · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2014, 10:54:11 pm »

*shakes head in shame* on this device I can see that it's propolis.

Can you not just cut around the inside and outside of the wood frame and remove it?

Jen · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2014, 11:00:55 pm »

Cpn- "Can you not just cut around the inside and outside of the wood frame and remove it?

Mmmm, meaning that there would be a void in that corner of the frame, and then the bees would fill it in?

CpnObvious · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2014, 11:11:46 pm »

Ohhhh, the wood frame sits completely within the plastic. Long day, sorry. Hmmmm. The empty void left to be filled by the bees would be interesting.

riverbee · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2014, 11:16:42 pm »

jen's frames are fine for now, these, as she said can by cycled out and are not hurting anything, capn a little more complicated than just cutting this out for now.....and jen knows that. she wants to replace these frames, and has been diligently doing so a little at at time. drawing foundation takes a great deal of bee energy.

i am more concerned about the health of her bees, what pollen and nectar is present and available, or not available.

"The medium has been on for about 3 weeks. This frame has the most pulled wax, the rest are pretty empty.
there is very little stored nectar, lots of vacant cells, doesn't this mean that they are having a hard time finding nectar?
Riv- Saw the queen she seems fine, she is actually in one of the photos. Didn't see much pollen stored either. Out of all four hives I'm not seeing much pollen coming in at this time."

jen i will go with what i see from your frames and what you said. you are in a dearth. i wouldn't wait and see. feed now.
bees need:
# 1 POLLEN/BEE BREAD
# 2 HONEY/NECTAR

i don't see either of these present. you have full frames of brood, and the bees have utilized pollen/bee bread/honey to feed these bees. when they hatch what is available for them to sustain themselves ? and the rest of the population of bees?

bees will forage for the hive needs as needed and then some......pollen and nectar as brood is being raised......and will keep somewhat of a 'reserve'. do you have a reserve? so when foragers become available, what do you have in your area for them to forage on? pollen or nectar? you can't sustain bees without either of these.

i'm with garden hive:
"Yes Feed them. They are hungry. There appears to be 9 frames in the deep, but not sure because the frame marks on the end rest look to be 10. I looked at the pic's rather close. I do not see pollen or very little. But not sure that you took pic's of all the frames. They do need the feed. This will stimulate the queen more, even though the numbers look fairly well, for the single deep. With feed they should draw comb in the medium, store some closer to the brood and get the boost that they need.

i might be wrong, but i don't like to see bees starve, and sometimes we have to feed them to sustain them.

go with your gut feel jen....you are there, we are not......

riverbee · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2014, 11:24:11 pm »

ps. sorry forgot to add....some queens won't continue to lay if there is no pollen and nectar coming in the front door, so jen if your queen isn't laying.....
good sign. not sure what breed of queen you have?