I caught a swarm a few weeks ago, they have a queen, and she lays were she can. So here is my confusion. The bees are apparently in wax production mode, but they are not using their wax to build comb, they are letting it fall to the floor? the floor is at least 3/4 of an inch thick if not more. They have made very little comb for the time they have been there so what do you experts think about this one. Are they genetically challenged, or is this some sort of cleansing process? My first guess would be something wrong genetically, and there is no point in trying to keep them as they will never be able to make stores, and would not survive on their own anyway.
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"If they're really producing that much wax scales I'd feed the heck out of them and collect the wax scales and put it through the solar wax melter. "
That's what will be done with the wax, but the bees cannot live on brood alone.
"Did you put this swarm on comb?"
No, they are in a foundation less top bar hive.
"How do you know the bees are in wax production mode? What are you seeing that tells you so?:
when I open the hive and look at the bees, they have wax scale on their abdomens, and the flakes on the bottom board are these same flakes.
The reason they are making so much wax is simple, they have no place to keep their stores, which causes the honey stomach to be full, which causes them to make wax.
'I'd leave them alone and let them do there own thing."
That's what Ive been doing, but I can guarantee you they will not survive at this rate, even if I feed, it will not help the situation.
The other thing this situating will eventually cause will be a swarm, since all of the comb is full of brood (even though there is not a lot) they may feel congested. Which may have been why they swarmed in the first place.
That's what will be done with the wax, but the bees cannot live on brood alone.
"Did you put this swarm on comb?"
No, they are in a foundation less top bar hive.
"How do you know the bees are in wax production mode? What are you seeing that tells you so?:
when I open the hive and look at the bees, they have wax scale on their abdomens, and the flakes on the bottom board are these same flakes.
The reason they are making so much wax is simple, they have no place to keep their stores, which causes the honey stomach to be full, which causes them to make wax.
'I'd leave them alone and let them do there own thing."
That's what Ive been doing, but I can guarantee you they will not survive at this rate, even if I feed, it will not help the situation.
The other thing this situating will eventually cause will be a swarm, since all of the comb is full of brood (even though there is not a lot) they may feel congested. Which may have been why they swarmed in the first place.
1 - 2 of 4 Posts
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