Bees and SBB {continued}

[Rob-bee]

Well I removed my bottom board and left the SBB on thinking the girls would go inside the hive instead of trying to build comb between the BB and the SBB. { I have the kind that has a enough room to slide a try in between to monitor mite fall}. Any way that didn't work! They still were "hanging" to the under side of the SBB. And the whole front of the 2 bottom hive boxes were bearded with bees. And the other hives I have there were no bees on the outside of them. {this was at night and early morning not as bad in the day, but still there}. Still no brood in this hive but lots of honey and pollen. They have plenty of room on the inside,6 mediums on this hive. So I took the SBB off and but the regular BB back on hoping they would get back inside and DO something to make some room for the queen to lay. This hive does not have a lot of capped honey or no room to move it to, they have the room, just wont do it. I am lost as what else to do. IF I don't get the queen laying soon this hive is in trouble. And before you say take some brood from another hive and put in this one I don't have that option because of splits. I feel that it would weaken my other hives to much. I thought about shaken these into other hives and dividing all of there stores between other hives and be done with it. Any advice?

[iddee]

Just remember, it takes about two weeks for a new queen to mate and begin laying. It sounds like you are in that two week period. I would just wait a while and see what happens. If the bearding bothers you, switch places with a very weak hive and the returning foragers will boost it's strength while relieving the congestion in the strong one.

[Dave W]

Rob-bee . . .

Does this hive have "top" ventilation?

>This hive does not have a lot of capped honey or no room to move it to, they have the room, just wont do it.

Do they "have room" or "no room"?

What swarm prep have you done?

[Rob-bee]

<Does this hive have "top" ventilation?
Yes
<Do they "have room" or "no room"?
They have the room.
<What swarm prep have you done?
Well if it did swarm it was a small one because of the amount of bees left.
As too what I did to prevent swarm I added a couple empty frames into the brood nest earlier this year to try and stop it. I don't know for a fact they did swarm. I don't think they did. I saw some supersedure cells when adding the empty frames. That was at the beginning of April, So I think they may have replaced the queen and when the new queen went out to mate she didn't return. Old timer beeks say they blue jays around here will eat one on mating flights. I don't know if that is true or not. But I will wait a little longer. Last question! If the queen doesn't start laying what would you do with this hive?

[Dave W]

I am thinking the hive may be preparing TO Swarm. Sorry I didnt make myself clear.

Here are SOME sign of swarm prep.
SWARM PREPARATION
• First outward sign of swarm preparation is the development of queen cell [BC 5/04, p52] from queen cups at lower frame edges [Ref 15, p104].
• Queen’s egg laying tapers off, amount of brood decreased [Ref 15, p104].
• Workers engorge w/ honey for about 10 days prior to swarming [BC 5/04, p52].
• Field bees less active, beginning to congregate at hive entrance [Ref 15, p104].

Guess time will tell for sure smile.gif