edppcli
08-09-2008, 09:28 AM
Hi All
Been perusing this site for the last year or so but finally joined because I need some expertise and this is definitely the place to get it.
I'm in the Ottawa, ON, Canada area (climate similar to upstate NY) and started my first hive from a nuc last year (2 hr drive to pickup) was able to pull 1 medium of capped honey in September. Bees overwintered well but late start to spring/summer and has been very wet this this year.
Did a split in late June, the plan was to let the bees raise their own queen. Seemed successful as comb was being drawn out and decent activity. The new hive was placed only about 2' away from the old with the entrances pointing the same way. Checked hive in 3rd week of July and decided to add a new deep with undrawn foundation. Checked last week top super still undrawn, decent activity in lower deep (didn't check closely). Checked this week exactly the same situation took of the top super went through the lower and found 3 frames of capped honey, 3 frames of uncapped nectar 3 frames drawn but empty 1 frame partially drawn....no brood, no eggs, no queen and no queen cells.??????
My established hive is doing well but seems slow at producing honey, top honey medium(separated by excluder) is full of nectar (40-50lbs oof) but hasn't been capped (checked 1 week ago and today) put it down to the rain but....my questions are this my split was obviously unsuccessful could the bee activity be merely remote honey storage from the primary hive?? I think it is too late to (re)queen the remote hive? should I combine the hives (what is the best procedure).
My primary outcome is to have my main hive overwinter successfully again (looks good right now). #2-I want to increase the number of hives but want any new hives to also overwinter (too late in my opinion, next year I guess). #3-I would like to harvest some honey by late August (remote honey storage if fully capped would be great).
All advice is much appreciated.
Thanks
Ed
Been perusing this site for the last year or so but finally joined because I need some expertise and this is definitely the place to get it.
I'm in the Ottawa, ON, Canada area (climate similar to upstate NY) and started my first hive from a nuc last year (2 hr drive to pickup) was able to pull 1 medium of capped honey in September. Bees overwintered well but late start to spring/summer and has been very wet this this year.
Did a split in late June, the plan was to let the bees raise their own queen. Seemed successful as comb was being drawn out and decent activity. The new hive was placed only about 2' away from the old with the entrances pointing the same way. Checked hive in 3rd week of July and decided to add a new deep with undrawn foundation. Checked last week top super still undrawn, decent activity in lower deep (didn't check closely). Checked this week exactly the same situation took of the top super went through the lower and found 3 frames of capped honey, 3 frames of uncapped nectar 3 frames drawn but empty 1 frame partially drawn....no brood, no eggs, no queen and no queen cells.??????
My established hive is doing well but seems slow at producing honey, top honey medium(separated by excluder) is full of nectar (40-50lbs oof) but hasn't been capped (checked 1 week ago and today) put it down to the rain but....my questions are this my split was obviously unsuccessful could the bee activity be merely remote honey storage from the primary hive?? I think it is too late to (re)queen the remote hive? should I combine the hives (what is the best procedure).
My primary outcome is to have my main hive overwinter successfully again (looks good right now). #2-I want to increase the number of hives but want any new hives to also overwinter (too late in my opinion, next year I guess). #3-I would like to harvest some honey by late August (remote honey storage if fully capped would be great).
All advice is much appreciated.
Thanks
Ed