Let's Play "What-if"

[lazy shooter]

Let’s Play “What-if:”

I have three hives that are approximately 20 months old. Two of the hives are in one 10 frame deep topped with one 10 frame medium. The other hive is in a 10 frame deep and two ten frame medium boxes. All of the hives are full of brood and honey. Back on November 22, I noticed several dead bees below the entrances of two of the hives (probably 200 or more bees). Due to a severely stressed knee, I could not do an inspection. Four days later I had total knee replacement of my left knee. My bees are on a ranch some two hours from my home, and I have not seen the bees since November 22. The surgery and rehabilitation on my knee has gone very well. I anticipate seeing my bees again on December 27, and at that time, I think I will be able to at least look inside the hives. I won’t be able to remove hive boxes and do a full inspection. So, now comes the “what-if.”

What if I find a dead out on one or more of the hives? Do I take the brood and honey frames and store them in my deep freeze until next spring? If so, can I place the frames back into the hive bodies and add a nuc or a package of bees to them? I realize if I order a package I could just dump them into the hive bodies, but how would I install a five frame nuc if I went that route?

My knee is going to be perfect, but at 73 years of age I am a slow healer. I now have 108 degrees of movement in my knee some 26 days after the surgery. My physical trainer says that is wonderful. I am thinking that by January 15, I will be released to do whatever I wish.

One final bit of information, these bees have been treatment free.

[Rader Sidetrack]

I realize if I order a package I could just dump them into the hive bodies, but how would I install a five frame nuc if I went that route?

How about removing 5 frames from the formerly frozen hive and fill the space with the 5 frames from the nuc.

You could put the 5 formerly frozen frames back in the freezer, or possibly add another hive body to that hive for the empty frames, or, buy some package bees and give the package a head start with those combs. Four hives is better than three, no?

[beefast]

i agree with side trac on this one

[cg3]

Stores for the splits you make from swarm cells.

[Mike Gillmore]

Lazy Shooter,

What are your goals for this coming year? Are you looking for the best honey harvest you can get, or trying to expand? Do you have any extra drawn supers?

I'm going to make an assumption that you don't have extra drawn supers available, but you would like a nice honey crop. If that's the case, and one of the colonies doesn't make it, I would use those boxes with drawn comb to super your overwintered colonies this spring and go for a good spring harvest. After the flow is over you could always purchase a queen or two and do splits from your other colonies.

If your goal is mainly expansion then follow Sidetrack's advice above in early spring.

I hope your next visit finds all three colonies alive and well.