Weird Beehavior from hive

[pbwhite]

Last year I started a new hive in a beemax hive. I mixed 1/2 pierco with 1/2 wood/foundation to see how they took to the plastic frames (I alternated 1/1)

They didn't seem to mind the plastic, but only drew out 1/2 the box. I added another box, and they proceeded to draw that out - but again, only 5 or so frames - all to one side - not the middle 5. They were a decent hive aside from that - lots of bees, but I never got them past the 1/2 hive.

I assumed I'd lose them over the winter (I'm in Massachusetts), but they were fine - they had 5+ frames of stored honey, and made it through the mild winter in good fashion.

2 weeks ago, I opened the hive to find no eggs/brood/etc. But, I had one open queen cup, so I decided to give them some time to check and see if she mated, and is laying. I went back in yesterday, ready to add a frame of eggs/brood from another hive, but there was one frame - both sides almost completely full of capped brood. Some larva in spots, but almost all capped brood. No pollen, no honey/nectar - just a full frame of brood - from top to bottom and side to side.

What is up with these bees? While I'm only a 4th year beek, I've never seen an entire frame full of brood - it's always had the typical brood/honey/pollen look to it.

Is this hive on something? Is this semi-normal? My good hive has been doing great, and this hive seems to be two or three grade-levels below them in terms of bee-competence.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Acebird]

It sounds like the queen was superseded so essentially you have a new hive. I would give it some time to see if the hive develops.

[wildbranch2007]

Is this hive on something? Is this semi-normal? My good hive has been doing great, and this hive seems to be two or three grade-levels below them in terms of bee-competence.

I would listen to acebird, he's an engineer also when you say an open queen cup, did you mean a queen cell? if so they probably swarmed, when you looked in two weeks ago were there any droan brood still capped? usually the new queen doesn't start laying until most all the worker brood has hatched, but droan brood will still be capped. Not sure why one whole frame of capped unless thats all bees can support. like your web site and it's always nice to have a helper. when you said they only pulled out only half the frames in each box, I assume they did some of each? I helped a beek a couple of years ago that used all plastic except the nuc I gave him, and he said they were doing strange things, when I went to look at it they had drawn out one side only on all 15 plastic frames(really hard to get them out that way) and the one side drawn out was on the south.

I had yards all around palmer when I lived in Brimfield. You might want to try feeding them again to draw out the frames b/4 winter or they may not make it this winter. have a good summer

[JRG13]

Was it a newly drawn frame? they'll do that time to time though as the stores are eaten up the queen lays in the top half too or the bees move the stores. I have a few newly drawn frames I put into the brood box that started off with the usual pattern but when i checked them saturday, the whole frame was entirely capped brood a week later.

[jadell]

I always see several frames completely filled with brood, I just give the queen a pat on the back!

[Keth Comollo]

Sounds like a good queen. When that full frame of brood emerges you will have lots more workers to build out the frames. Give em time!