Bees on the ground ?

[activematrix]

Awesome! Glad i could spread the good word! As for now, its probably too late for a drone frame, since they would need to draw it out. You COULD try requeening if you can find and kill your queen... I hear powdered sugar works good although ive never tried it. I have also heard that a small bunch of fresh english thyme under the inner cover works.

Where did you get your bees?

[Sam Fugate]

Awesome! Glad i could spread the good word! As for now, its probably too late for a drone frame, since they would need to draw it out. You COULD try requeening if you can find and kill your queen... I hear powdered sugar works good although ive never tried it. I have also heard that a small bunch of fresh english thyme under the inner cover works.

Where did you get your bees?

I got them (two working hives) from an old guy close to where I live. I am wondering if I should tell him about the problem ? I may try requeening if I can find one. If not I'll do the powdered sugar thing.

[activematrix]

I would definitely let him know. If he is selling bees, they should be very near mite free when you get them. In order to requeen to kill mites, you dont buy a new one. You need the break in the brood cycle while the new queen is reared. You find the queen, kill her and check in a week or so for queen cells. As long as you find some you close the hive and dont touch it for at least a month. The break in the brood cycle kills off most of the mites, and the few ones left all crowd into the first few new cells to be capped. Those few brood die, killing the mites in the cell with them. At that point you have a virile new queen and almost no mites, which is just about the best way you can ever hope to go into fall.

[Sam Fugate]

Thanks again,
Looks like I will treat them with sugar for now .
Also the screened bottom board should help some, at least now
When they drop they have no chance of getting back into the hive.