[John Scifres]

I really am learning a lot!

I have this hive that swarmed this year. They made a queen, I saw her on May 3rd. But I believe she didn't get mated because the incident described in the title happened as I was doing a deep inspection. I found no eggs, no brood but a lot of honey.

The lower deep is about half honey and hatched brood cells. Some pollen. No eggs, no brood.

The upper deep is almost all honey and very danged heavy. Now I know why some folks say to go all medium

The super is more than half honey and mostly drawn.

There are still a lot of bees. And they are grumpy!

I am going to add a frame of eggs/brood from another hive and see if they make themselves happier.

Beekeeping is fun, except for this danged swelling

 

[Brad Bee]

Your title is exactly right. I've done that before. I've also just dropped a frame for no apparent reason and got stung multiple times because of it.

Don't worry about the swelling, after a couple dozen stings the swelling will get less and less.

 

[Tenbears]

John: A point to remember is that it will take as much as a month for a queen to emerge, get bred, and begin laying. it can also be as quick as 20. were you in a southern latitude none of that would matter. But in Indiana you will most likely experience a dearth. sometime in early July or so. if the queen takes the maximum time frame you will be in a dearth at a time when you need resources most. Now the bees can usually put away ample stores in the autumn flow, but you may hit that flow with low bee numbers. You might consider adding a mated queen and get things going faster. Could make a wintering difference. IMHO

 

[djei5]

+1 Tenbears...I would add that when a queen isn't there or laying, the workers will really amaze at how much honey they will make. The negative, it seems for you John, is the hive can become honey bound in short order. Recommend adding another super if so.

 

[psfred]

Yup, bees without a queen or with an unmated virgin can be cranky. They also tend to "flow" over the sides of the boxes while you are working them.

When did they swarm? Typically the old queen vacates with a substantial number of bees about the time the new queen cells are capped, so you will need at least 8 days for the new queen(s) to emerge and then a week or ten days for her to get mated. Should start laying shortly after that this time of year as there are plenty of drones.

I had both my hives swarm last year, not that I figured that out until this year, but when the new queens mated I had a couple dozen dying drones on the ground in front of the hive, some with their guts hanging out. Must have followed the queen home.

The bees temper improves markedly when the new queen is mated and laying.

Figure five weeks between swarm and new bees, give or take a bit, so that means the beginning of July or so before new brood emerges. The left behind bees will stuff the hive with honey, you may need to extract a few deep frames ((or whatever you use in the brood nest) to give the new queen room to lay once she's mated. I'd wait to do so until you have the dead drone thing.

My buddy commutes weekends from Carmel, and reports you are in the middle of a black locust bloom up that way, should have a gonzo crop of honey coming in. Keep the supers either extracted or new ones added, they can fill one in a week on black locust. Great honey, too.

Peter

 

[beepro]

I don't get it!
How do you got stung when wearing a full suit for protection?
The only time when I get sting is when not wearing any protection at all.
It still hurts though.

 

[John Scifres]

Thanks for the advice folks.

I think I might give it another week. If nothing shows, I'll decide if I want to buy a queen, add one from a nuc I started with some of the original swarm cells (she is laying great), or just go the route of adding a frame of eggs and brood.

I'm not looking forward to messing with the grumps though Actually I am but this time I might wear long sleeves and my gloves at the start. I was gloveless, wearing a tshirt and shorts this time - doh! I'm learning.

beepro, I usually don't wear anything special except a vail and maybe some nitrile gloves. But I am learning to judge the bees' moods and will don gear accordingly. Although they were so mad yesterday one got me a little on the tip of my index finger through my leather gloves.

 

[John Scifres]

psfred, locusts are done around me. They were awesome though.

 

[johng]

If you actually saw a virgin queen on May 3rd. There is no reason to wait any longer because something must of happened to her on her mating flight. If you have any doubt give them a frame of open brood and see if they start queen cells. You should start to see eggs two weeks after the virgin emerges.

 

[Pete O]

The other day I caught a Fatbeeman video by one of his students; it showed how to hold a frame so that if you begin to drop it, your index finger will go through the upper corner of the foundation. It may destroy ten cells but it's worth it.

 

[John Scifres]

johng,

I was mistaken, I saw her on the 13th. Still, sounds like a no go for her.

 

[JRG13]

If you saw her the 13th, you should start seeing eggs soon, I'd worry come June.

 

[Dan. NY]

I don't get it!
How do you got stung when wearing a full suit for protection?
The only time when I get sting is when not wearing any protection at all.
It still hurts though


You are lucky then. I have been stung multiple times through my suit by an angry hive.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Personally, I'd rather wear shorts, a long-sleeved T-shirt, no gloves, and no veil; get stung a few times each time I'm working the bees - rather than develop an allergy (hypersensitivity) to bee venom, and possibly have a serious reaction. Of course, that could happen, anyway. But the undesirable scenario certainly seems more likely if I've been minimally exposed to honey bees over an extended period of time, then suddenly get a regular dose (several stings).

I've already had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin, and a nearly anaphylactic reaction to 'compound tincture of benzoin', which is used in bandage adhesives to help them better adhere to skin. Those experiences, have helped me to work towards reducing my chances of future anaphylactic reactions - they are much more than uncomfortable - with the penicillin I was packed in ice in my hospital bed, then dosed with adrenalin through my I.V. An experience that engenders a totally unpleasant and unforgettably vivid recollection.

 

[Acebird]

I wear an inspectors jacket and veil. I have done many dumb things with frames and covers and boxes resulting in no stings. Most of my stings have been out of the blue stinging my hands or pinching bees in some fashion. Pheromones are everything. If you get stung through your clothing you need to wash it.

 

[Lburou]

.........I was packed in ice in my hospital bed, then dosed with adrenalin through my I.V. An experience that engenders a totally unpleasant and unforgettably vivid recollection.

Those are unpleasant circumstances for sure. Glad you made it through, and glad you post your experience(s) here Joseph.

 

[McBee7]

Yeah- I've got some grumpy bees too...superceding the queen tends to stress them out a bit...I weed wacked the bee yard today and got a shot to the throat..Hurt like"lakiaoiroiut4q87419- "so I put on my veil and finished the job.....last year I was swollen for 2 weeks for the same sting and this year---sensitive for a couple of hours but now its fine
I'm learning to live with the bees this year,,,seems they know best, just need to help them when I can.....lolol....

==McBee7==

 

[rwurster]

I took a frame of brood from my pissy hive and was in the process of walking it across the apiary and putting it in a nuc when I took one to the arm. It was one of those times where the bee hit me with one of those white hot stings then was trying to fly off but its guts were in a string from the stinger to its abdomen and I kept thinking how much i wanted to smash that bee when I took 3 more to the same arm. All I knew was that I wasnt going to drop that frame of brood no matter what. When I finally got it into the nuc the only sting that hurt was the first one. It was like someone put a cigarette out on my arm. It takes a lot of self control to not to drop a frame when one takes a sting.