Bee keeping

[Tadkins472]

I was actuall torn between the two this year whether i wanted to raise chicken or keep bees first. I went with chicken but next ear for sure i will be keeping bees! Also a buckeye boy.

 

[RAST]

Life is Good, slow down your time expectations a little. First the Queen has to take a mating flight and hopefully mate with 15-20 drones and return alive, no bee eating birds etc. Then it will take bout a week to start laying, maybe a little less. Then bout 21 days for worker bees to develop.
I always give a nuc bout a month before I look for laying.
Yeah I do love the look of that soft new white comb. Beautiful.

 

[Baker Farm]

Rast,
When you get a nuc has the queen already taken this mating flight? Or is this done once they move into the new hive? I am assuming since a nuc comes with brood that this would have happened, but it's all new to me.
I picked up my new deep brood boxes, frames and foundations etc the other day. I've got to finish the boxes and I was told my nuc will likely be ready in mid to late may. She is still waiting for drones to be born to raise queens. Again, it's all new to me
Have you ever done a natural finish on a hive? I was thinking of using marine spar varnish. It should handle the elements well.

 

[empire]

Life is Good, slow down your time expectations a little. First the Queen has to take a mating flight and hopefully mate with 15-20 drones and return alive, no bee eating birds etc. Then it will take bout a week to start laying, maybe a little less. Then bout 21 days for worker bees to develop.
 I always give a nuc bout a month before I look for laying. 
 Yeah I do love the look of that soft new white comb. Beautiful.

Rast,

Any queen that came with a package or nuc should be a mated and laying queen, or the buyer was ripped off. I have never seen a package or nuc advertised with a virgin queen. I would still give the bees more than 21 days for brood to emerge, as it takes time for them to build out comb and the queen to lay. I would say about 25-28 days for brood to emerge in a new hive.

 

 

[Life is Good!]

Life is Good, slow down your time expectations a little. First the Queen has to take a mating flight and hopefully mate with 15-20 drones and return alive, no bee eating birds etc. Then it will take bout a week to start laying, maybe a little less. Then bout 21 days for worker bees to develop.

Yeah I do love the look of that soft new white comb. Beautiful.

As I purchased packages with mated queens and saw incredible comb development so quickly, I was under the impression that there would be brood in less time than you're stating. That said, I've not actually gone out and pulled a frame to see if there is brood under the heap of bees on the combs.

I'm also noticing a more distinctive, 'honeycomb' smell about the hives - likely from the newly built out combs. Does the comb retain that smell? I presume so, as beeswax candles surely do!

 

[RAST]

Packages and Nuc's are different. Yes, nucs should come with a mated and laying queen. Packages can be either way, having been on the inside looking out, I know this time of year some package suppliers do not wait to ensure the queen took a mating flight. I still stand by giving a new hive about 30 days for brood to emerge. Course if your eyes are good and the sun is right, one can see eggs a lot sooner. Just be careful with that new comb, very fragile, if its a TBH you sure don't want to turn it sideways like you can a wired frame.
Yes that wonderful smell stays until the comb gets old and black and should be removed.

 

[Life is Good!]

Yes that wonderful smell stays until the comb gets old and black and should be removed.

Fabulous scent! That's why beeswax candles are so fragrant. Here I thought they added something - like one would add vanilla extract to vanilla ice cream. Nope, now I know better!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... didn't realize that when honey crystallizes ... this meant it was bad and I've always thrown it out....

Honey never spoils as long as it's moisture content is kept at 17% or less.
Honey is such a good preservative that legend has it that Alexander the Great was buried in a vat of honey to preserve his body.

 

[RAST]

Let me try to make myself clear. EMPIRE is correct, Nuc's should always have a mated and laying queen when received. Packages also should have a mated queen.
Talk about smell, wait til you get to extracting some honey, that is even better to me.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

When I removed the cork on the end of the queen cage, I discovered to my horror that no candy plug was provided (or marshmallow!)....

Traditionally there are two corks in a wooden queen cage, one on each end. One of these corks has candy behind it and one doesn't. The hole with no candy is where the queen and her attendants entered the cage. Some plastic cages may only have one entry/exit. Of course your bees may also have been in the cage so long that they ate all the candy themselves.