Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[sgtmom52]

That's not my queen though. Mine is clipped and can't fly.

It could be a virgin queen that just hatched. Sometimes hives swarm multiple times in a brief time period. The primary swarm usually has the ole mated queen and the secondary swarms have a virgin queen.

If you saw them leave and then come back it was probably due to the clipped queen and her being unable to fly with the swarm.

 

[madamwlf]

We never found the clipped queen on the ground though. And if they left with the queen I took a picture of, they would have come back too. She can't fly. Every time she tries to fly, she drops to the ground.

 

[madamwlf]

Okay Sgtmom, what's your suggestion? We went in the hive last night and there are queen cells in the top box. There are also tons of bees so I'm assuming the hive is way over crowded. I've been reading some and since the top box has the queen cells I was thinking of putting splitting the hive, turning the top box into its own hive and placing a empty deep box on the first hive. Then I can put a empty medium on the new hive since that is all I have left. Will this work?

 

[sgtmom52]

Okay Sgtmom, what's your suggestion? We went in the hive last night and there are queen cells in the top box. There are also tons of bees so I'm assuming the hive is way over crowded. I've been reading some and since the top box has the queen cells I was thinking of putting splitting the hive, turning the top box into its own hive and placing a empty deep box on the first hive. Then I can put a empty medium on the new hive since that is all I have left. Will this work?

You can do a split if you want another hive. You need to make sure that you either have queen cells in both boxes or the queen cells in one and find the queen for the other. I personally would put frames with queen cells in each box as the old queen make have issues and need to be replaced. You may have to feed the hives to make sure they build up again and drawn enough comb and put in stores for the winter.

 

[sgtmom52]

This is a picture I took today when checking some of my hives. If you look carefully, you can see eggs in the bottom of many of the cells.

 

[Happy Chooks]

A few more questions:

My hive has had the 2nd hive body on for about 3 weeks now. They are drawing out and capping honey in the top box. I was expecting that the queen would have moved up there to lay eggs, but just honey up there. Is this normal?

Also, do you remove the comb that they draw to stick the upper frames and the lower frames together? I've been leaving it, but it's tough to get it back into place without squishing bees. I've been smoking them and then putting the frames back in place.

How often should I go into the lower box to check? From what I see from the top box, the population has increased dramatically.

 

[Glenmar]

That comb in between the frames is burr comb. We learned that it should be removed to make your life easier later.
I am new too. This is also my first year.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Okay Sgtmom, what's your suggestion?  We went in the hive last night and there are queen cells in the top box.  There are also tons of bees so I'm assuming the hive is way over crowded.  I've been reading some and since the top box has the queen cells I was thinking of putting splitting the hive, turning the top box into its own hive and placing a empty deep box on the first hive.  Then I can put a empty medium on the new hive since that is all I have left.  Will this work?  

Also my first year, but when we were picking up hive number 3 this week, DH asked about splitting while we were there.. The beekeeper said it was important after splitting to move the new hive over a mile away so that they don't keep going back to the original hive.

 

[madamwlf]

Unfortunately, I had to get rid of the bees. I had a allergic reaction to a bee sting last Saturday. I've never seen such swelling before. My husband got stung twice the next day and nothing happened at all. My leg is still red from where I got stung. Since I'm home alone a lot with my DH being military and usually in another state, we thought it was best for me and the bees to find them a new home. Someone from York, PA came and got them and bought all the equipment I had. Thank you sgtmom for all the help you gave me.

 

[sgtmom52]

Sorry to hear that. I hope you will continue to follow this thread any way.

Can you PM me the name of the person from York who got them. I know a lot of the beekeepers there.