The Honey Factory

[R2elk]

Found her!
Bottom left hand side of the of your third photo with a white mark.

You are 100% correct. Now, how did a marked queen get into an empty hive last fall?

 

[duluthralphie]

You are 100% correct. Now, how did a marked queen get into an empty hive last fall?
View attachment 3036498

Evicted from her last hive?

 

[Apis mellifera]

You are 100% correct. Now, how did a marked queen get into an empty hive last fall?

Lol, I dont know. Maybe she is from someone's swarm? But in the second photo I can see she laid 3 eggs in a row with the correct size larva next to them. Very nice, she's a beauty. It's great to see an overwintered queen.

Still can't dig into my hives yet to look at queens, teens and twenties here.

 

[R2elk]

Evicted from her last hive?

Almost has to be. Maybe they were swarming back on Nov. 22 as @Apis mellifera asked.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-honey-factory.1358454/post-25133026

This particular hive was definitely empty before then.

 

[R2elk]

Lol, I dont know. Maybe she is from someone's swarm? But in the second photo I can see she laid 3 eggs in a row with the correct size larva next to them. Very nice, she's a beauty. It's great to see an overwintered queen.

Still can't dig into my hives yet to look at queens, teens and twenties here.

That makes all 3 hives having survived the winter. Now I definitely need to get busy on a new hive for the nuc I have coming in May. I ordered it when I still thought I had an empty hive.

 

[duluthralphie]

It is amazing a queen swarms in late November and makes it through the winter.


I started ripping my hives apart. Definitely dead bees. Looks like a shredder went to work on them.

I am cleaning the frames. Then I will put them back together for the new occupants.
They should get a good start with all the honey.

And maybe a few protein Pattie’s.

 

[R2elk]

It is amazing a queen swarms in late November and makes it through the winter.


I started ripping my hives apart. Definitely dead bees. Looks like a shredder went to work on them.

I am cleaning the frames. Then I will put them back together for the new occupants.
They should get a good start with all the honey.

And maybe a few protein Pattie’s.

When you sealed them in for the winter, how good of ventilation did you leave them?

 

[duluthralphie]

They had the bottom entrance, one hole above the 2nd deep. Then I use a bee blanket Top that has ventilation build into it. All three are on the same side/south side.

You can see 2 of the vents here.

 

[R2elk]

Are you finding any honey they left behind?

 

[duluthralphie]

Lots of honey. I only opened the ones that were alive on Feb 20th so far. There was one honey super untouched.

I have one deep with 6-7 frames full. I will be going into the other 2 deeps tomorrow.