whenever i open a hive up. i usually remove an outer frame to see whats there, then the next one or two until i get a good look at the brood pattern. it also matters where the brood chamber starts. if i like what i see i close them up. if not i keep looking until i know whats going on.
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That's my wonders. How can I tell on an 8 medium triple brood box if there are swarm cells or anything if I'm not going through each box/frame.
I dug into the bottom box today because it had been a month and I let them get a bit crowded for a week or so before supering. I found a couple (literally 2) cups, one looked empty the other had an egg in it. One mid way up frame on outer edge (empty?) the other was on bottom like a swarm (egg). I didn't go through the entire middle box because I just went through frame by frame fixing wonky comb last weekend and all was well.
I assume that these cells are some "just in case" cells, but it got me thinking about how would I know without going through the whole thing?
On this particular hive I have no clue the queen's age as it was a tree removal and I got lucky and vacuumed her up. I do believe they may have supersede her/swarmed/or she died just prior to removal as a day or two before they were roaring in that tree. So far though they have been very gentle and she's doing decent in laying, but I still feel its early to tell given the room they had and my over feeding. No mighty that I have seen on bees, but I haven't looked hard nor have I used the bottom board for a mite check yet. A hive beetle or two has been hiding under frame rest when I inspect (which I squish). So far as a first year keeper, I'm pretty happy!
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