[bubbarex]

This past April I started two hives on HSC. I have read that the first couple of brood cycles don't do so well, but then the brood pattern should start to take on a more normal appearance. The bees have been in the hive about 90days now. The population has been really slow to build. The brood pattern is good sized, nearly covering a whole frame. in the middle of the hive and spanning 6 or 7 frames, however, it is really "spotty." At this point I'm not sure if I should give the queen another cyle or two, or if I should just pinch her and requeen. Any thoughts?

 

[devdog108]

The brood pattern is good sized, nearly covering a whole frame. in the middle of the hive and spanning 6 or 7 frames, however, it is really "spotty." At this point I'm not sure if I should give the queen another cyle or two, or if I should just pinch her and requeen. Any thoughts?

Any way you can get a picture of the"spotty" that you are referring to. You really kinda contradicted yourself if I didn't read it wrong. Never used HSC, but a lot here do.....and what do you consider spotty?

 

[bubbarex]

I don't have any pictures right now, I'll try to get some this weekend. What I mean by the pattern being "large" but "spotty" is that the discolored (darker) region that seems to define the brood nest is large, covering nearly a whole frame in the center, but the brood pattern within that area is extemely spotty. The eggs and brood are not in nice concentric patterns, as they are in my other hives. It's more of a "scattershot" of empty cells, eggs, and brood in all their stages, including capped. Maybe 1/5 of the cells are capped and 1/5 are completely empty, the rest are in various stages. I hope that fills out the picture.

This is my second year, so I'm basing this observation on my limited experience from last year and the 5 new hives I started this year. The development of these hives is different from my others (I expected that). I've heard that there have been a lot of poor queens with the packages this year. I don't want to be giving myself a dope slap in a month or so wishing I'd requeened. I'm not sure what action to take.

 

[devdog108]

hmm....both HSC's or one. If its just one, I'd probably pinch and requeen....

 

[bubbarex]

These HSC hives are my "experimental" hives for this year. One of the hives is "spottier" and weaker than the others. Perhaps, I should pinch and requeen the weakest one. If it takes off and looks great then I'll do the second one as well. Of course, if it doesn't then, I'll be forced to think a little more...

Thanks for the input!

 

[devdog108]

LOL...i hear ya.....i experimented with how many splits i could do from one hive b4 they had laying workers....(wink wink) Got 7...LOL

 

[bubbarex]

Another thought...

About 6 weeks ago I made a couple of nucs from a hive that was bent on swarming. The resulting nucs and queens, the first I ever raised , are doing really great. I've already started a new hive with one of them. Maybe I should take the queen out of one of the other nucs and introduce her to the weakest HSC hive. This should have a couple of benefits:

1. I won't have to spend any money or drive two hours to pickup a queen
2. The queen I introduce is a known good layer, as she currently resides in a
booming nuc in my own apiary.
3. Lastly, if the HSC hive takes off, I'll know it was a queen issue. If it
doesn't then I'll know that something else is going on.

Sound like a plan?

 

[devdog108]

Thats a good plan....you could do a newspaper combine after 24 hrs pinching her and or pinch her, cage the new one, wait 24 hrs then introduce her and then newspaper combine...should work and save you some greif...If it were me, I might cage her just in case. I thought my Russians wouldn't kill a queen(caged) in a queenright hive for 24hrs, but they did. I was depressed...lol

 

[bubbarex]

That's what I'll do. Thanks!

 

[NasalSponge]

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