A BEE thread....for those interested in beekeeping.

[Happy Chooks]

Looking for advise here:

I did an inspection of my hive today. My bee population is very strong, and I was surprised at the numbers. They are actively working the super. I removed the super and inspected the top box (2 deep) of the hive. Lots of bees and brood, pollen, eggs, etc. I did find some queen cups along the bottom of a couple of frames, but they are empty. (no egg or larva) They still have room (the 2 outer frames on each side are empty still).
So, does this mean they are preparing to swarm? Or at least thinking of it in the future? I'm considering splitting the hive (I do want to have a 2nd hive), and I've been looking at a walkaway split with a purchased queen, but if they fill the queen cups, then I can have them raise their own. I don't want to split the brood chambers completely in half, as I still want a honey harvest this year. Blackberries are just starting to bloom, so it's about to get super busy here.
How soon after they build the queen cups will there be an egg laid in them? Should I be preparing to split them really soon?

If/when I split them, and I remove brood, eggs and honey. I'm assuming I put the empty frames on the outside of the hive and not where I removed them from? Or do I replace the ones I take with frames with foundation?

 

[3goodeggs]

I have read up a bit on this, because this is what we would have done if we had not caught the queen before they swarmed off.
Do you still have your nuc box from your first hive purchase? You need to use it. If the queen cups have not been laid in yet you can wait for them to get capped, Then move two frames into your nuc with capped brood and workers,(Look for your queen so you do not accidentally take her.) then add three empty frames (without waxed pulled out on it- a bare frame- this will help keep hive beetles from taking advantage)
When the queens emerge they will decide whom to keep and whom to kill off.

This was helpful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuc

I am not sure if the nuc will have enough food, because the workers that get moved are not foragers, so we made sure they had sugar water.

We were in the middle of splitting a hive ourselves and to buy another queen, when they got all balled up and ready to leave, so we had a nuc all ready and going with frames, accidental timing, oh, what is that word? serendipitous.

I think you can also add another brood chamber and give them more room. That might stop the swarming.
-then you can use this guys split method.
Honestly, the more I read up on all of this the less certain I am about everything. There are many ways to get to Rome.

This guy needs to at least wear a veil- you'll see towards the end. This is when you don't want to move the queen and let them duke it out.

part one

part two


Maybe Barbara will log on, she is very knowledgeable. I have not lived the bee life long enough to accept that anything we have done is anything more than just luck.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks 3goodeggs. Yes, the more you research the more confusing it gets. I've been advised to move the empty frames in the broodnest to the center, checkerboarded. I will do that today.

I do have the NUC box, it's a waxy cardboard though? I don't know if that will work. It has a plastic plug in it for the hive entrance. Otherwise, I was just going to buy another hive and put them in that.

 

[3goodeggs]

I imagine that would work as well, as long as you do not put too many frames in.
I was thinking, and again-I do not know what I am doing- that the more room they have the greater the chance of moths and beetles and robbers to move in, because it is a small amount of workers and they are not up to keeping a big house all by themselves.

Tim Durham did it in a way that makes a lot of sense, he re-bee-ed with all of the bees except for the queen.
(I am making words up here)

 

[Happy Chooks]

I added 2 empty frames to the middle, separated with a frame of brood. (more brood on the outside of them too) I used my smoker today, and I was able to better inspect the queen cups. There are 4 and all are empty. There is a lot of space in the super, so hopefully, this will make them think they have lots of space and stay put. I'll check again 10 days from now.

If the queen lays in the cups, I will wait until they are capped and do a split.

 

[mak1]

If the queen cells our capped they already swarmed therefore, split the hive if its strong and let them raise their own because it takes 2 weeks to come out and about 1 week to mate. Within those weeks the bees will work like crazy and pull way more honey than you buy a queen and let it lay eggs.

 

[3goodeggs]

I had this video that I could not put on here. I needed you guys to tell me what these bees are doing.
So, Rebel cowboy made a youtube for me.
Please if you know what they are doing, please let me know. Thank you.

 

[3goodeggs]

Some one found the answer for me. It is called wash boarding and nobody knows why they do it.

Why are they dancing at the entrance in unison?

A few times a year some new beekeeper wants to know what the bees are doing line dancing (rhythmically swaying) on the landing board. This is called "washboarding" and actually no one knows why they do it, but they do. Personally I think it's a social dance. Perhaps even a thanksgiving dance.

 

[cheepcheep riri]

We finally got our bees yesterday. 3 gives!! I'm so glad!

 

[3goodeggs]

Congratulations!
It is fun. I found that It was like chickens when you start, you are a bit anxious and all, but yea you!