Too hot or too crowded?

[Michibee]

I'm a first year beekeeper. I hived 2 packages seven weeks ago. All was going well with both hives being about equal for about 5 weeks. It now looks like hive one is roughly half again as large as hive two. This past weekend the temps went into the mid 90's. I still had the small entrance opening installed on both hives (single deeps). On checking them on Saturday, Hive one had the entire front covered with bees. The inside had six and a half frames of bees on drawn foundation (with brood, pollen and honey) and bees covering both sides of the box on the wood. Three frames had no or very little drawn comb. There was a started Queen cell. Hive two has six frames of bees with draw foundation with brood, pollen and honey. The othr four frames have nothing. It also had three started Queen cells. I scraped the Queen cells out of both hives.
I figured Hive one was getting ready to swarm or or was too warn inside. I added a second deep to give them more room and put a 1/8 shim under the telescoping cover to give them top ventilation and opened the entrance to five inches wide. On hive two I just added the shims under the top cover for ventilation. I'm keeping an eye on two and will add a second deep brood box and open the entrance when the first is about 70% - 80%
occupied. Looks like both have "normal" activity now.
Note: I'm using Plasticell.
My questions are: Are the shims under the top cover OK or will they invite robbing and other unwanted situations? It appears hive two has a laying Queen and is not overcrowded, so why the Queen cells? I'm sure they were Queen cells, at least they looked exactly like the ones pictured in the books. Anything else I should consider?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[beegee]

Have you checked for eggs and new larvae? You may want to swap a frame of brood from hive #1 to hive #2 to help them out a little. I'd chek that queen's laying pattern(if she's still there). She may be injured or failing or poorly-mated and the bees have reacted by building queen cells. If you cut the queen cells out, they will probably build new ones. You'll probably need to feed the bees to get them to draw comb unless you have a healthy nectar and pollen supply right now.

[Michael Bush]

> On checking them on Saturday, Hive one had the entire front covered with bees.

Typical hot weather behavior.

> The inside had six and a half frames of bees on drawn foundation (with brood, pollen and honey) and bees covering both sides of the box on the wood. Three frames had no or very little drawn comb. There was a started Queen cell.

One queen cell (if it was not just a cup) is indicative of a supercedure or emergency, not a swarm. If it's an empty cup it is no indicative of anything at all. A new pakcage should not be trying to swarm unless you have fed them so much that they have totally plugged the brood nest with syrup.

> Hive two has six frames of bees with draw foundation with brood, pollen and honey. The othr four frames have nothing. It also had three started Queen cells. I scraped the Queen cells out of both hives.

Where are the cells? Swarm cells are usually a dozen or more and hanging off the bottom of the frame. Packages should not be trying to swarm. Odds are the bees needed those queens and you have now destroyed them. My bet is they will end up queenless.

>I figured Hive one was getting ready to swarm or or was too warn inside.

When it's hot it's always too warm inside. Just make sure they have enough room and ventilation (opening on both bottom and top) and don't worry about it.

> I added a second deep to give them more room and put a 1/8 shim under the telescoping cover to give them top ventilation and opened the entrance to five inches wide.

I would open the entrance wide open or put on a SBB with no tray.

> On hive two I just added the shims under the top cover for ventilation. I'm keeping an eye on two and will add a second deep brood box and open the entrance when the first is about 70% - 80%
occupied. Looks like both have "normal" activity now.

That probably took care of the bearding to some extent but it may still beard when it's really hot.

>My questions are: Are the shims under the top cover OK or will they invite robbing and other unwanted situations?

You're worried about a hive swarming and being robbed at the same time? A weak hive will not swarm. A first year hive will seldom swarm. A strong hive will not be robbed. So are they strong or weak?

> It appears hive two has a laying Queen and is not overcrowded, so why the Queen cells?

Probably a supercedure if they are not hanging from the bottom.

> I'm sure they were Queen cells, at least they looked exactly like the ones pictured in the books.

Or cups with no larvae?

[Michibee]

> Where are the cells? Swarm cells are usually a dozen or more and hanging off the bottom of the frame. Packages should not be trying to swarm. Odds are the bees needed those queens and you have now destroyed them. My bet is they will end up queenless.

THe cells were on the side at the bottom on a buldge in the drawn comb. They've been building brood cells around the botton of a couple of frames each time I've checked them.

>So are they strong or weak?

Hive one is strong. Hive two is the weaker one. There is larva in both hives. Will the strong rob the weak one?

> Or cups with no larvae?

In Hive two, One was uncapped with no larvae or egg that I could see. The others were smaller closed cells.

Since I destroyed what were probably supercedure cells and there is still capped brood on the frames what are the chances that they will build more Q cells for supercedure?

I'll check them again this weekend for more Q cells and do a good search for the queens. If the situation looks as before I'll take a picture and post.

With my limited experience I would say that the brood pattern is fair to good on most frames. I've been feeding them since installation. Frames have some syrup stores but not excessive. What I'm concerned about is the totally non drawn foundation after eight weeks now.

Thanks for the help!