The Old Folks Home

[superchemicalgirl]

Well at least you know for sure that she flew the coop. If you didn't know, it would be too late by the time you found out.
Perhaps she hadn't been mated and is trying to get more drone juice. Did she fly up or out low to the ground?
Drones fly high so a queen looking for mates will fly low for a good distance before gaining elevation so they're less likely to breed related drones.
If it were me, I'd order a new queen now. If she comes back, you could split some frames out for the new queen to make a third hive.

She flew out and up, fast. She'd have been mated, they come back with the abdomen of the male.

And I don't think I'm ready for a 3rd hive yet. I want to do a top bar hive, next.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Your third one can be a top bar hive.
My problem is building equipment fast enough while building chicken coops.
You have to be coming into prime honey flow. We've been in it about a month and ours was very late this year.

 

[bamadude]

@Wisher1000 Legbands arrived today at12:45...an OE from junibutt hatched at 1:15.
Perfect timing. These are perfect.

 

[Alaskan]

I saw this antique hive once... Wish I had pictures... But it was an outbuilding, you walked inside, and then inside the building, the one wall (or was it two walls?) were solid drawers. It looked like it was set up so that the drawers could be blocked off, exchanged etc. as the hives grew or shrank...

I forget how many separate bee swarms used the one building... But it was at least 6.

On the outside front of the building were the multiple hive entrances, each one with a different pattern and color.

This hive building was from maybe the 17 hundreds... I can't remember, but it was located in a colder part of Germany. I thought it was an awesome way to keep the bees warm, and be able to keep track of them durring the winter.

 

[bamadude]

Bees sound complicated. But honey is going for about $20 a quart around here.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@Wisher1000 Legbands arrived today at12:45...an OE from junibutt hatched at 1:15.
Perfect timing. These are perfect.

What kind of leg bands are you using?
I originally used the plastic colored rings but I needed numbers for birds so went to numbered bandettes. I use colored zip ties till they're big enough I don't have to change the numbers more than once.
Everyone says to use wingbands but that would require handling the birds to read them.
The numbered bandettes can be read from a distance I can approach the birds within.

I saw this antique hive once... Wish I had pictures... But it was an outbuilding, you walked inside, and then inside the building, the one wall (or was it two walls?) were solid drawers. It looked like it was set up so that the drawers could be blocked off, exchanged etc. as the hives grew or shrank...

I forget how many separate bee swarms used the one building... But it was at least 6.

On the outside front of the building were the multiple hive entrances, each one with a different pattern and color.

This hive building was from maybe the 17 hundreds... I can't remember, but it was located in a colder part of Germany. I thought it was an awesome way to keep the bees warm, and be able to keep track of them durring the winter.

That is so cool.
The Langstroth design has become more or less the norm but bees find a way in the wild without hive bodies and frames.
Do you know anyone in AK with bees?

 

[bamadude]

I have a 3lb polish that is in full on broody mode. Should I give her an egg?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Bees sound complicated. But honey is going for about $20 a quart around here.

They used to be easy but get more complicated every year as new problems occur.
Small hive beetles, verroa mites, nosema, foulbrood AM and EU, pesticides, herbicides, GMO, hive collapse disorder, et. al..
With each new pathogen, honey prices rise.

 

[Alaskan]

Yes... Not personally... But I have visited a garden with hives, and they post on Facebook on occasion asking questions.

It sounds like most in the colder areas of Alaska stand a standard hives inside a three sided shelter. We tend to have brutal wind up here.

 

[Alaskan]

I have a 3lb polish that is in full on broody mode. Should I give her an egg?

Do you want another chick?