[Presidential]

Oh my goodness... I'm clueless!!

We got a nuc 2.5 weeks ago, put the 4 frames in our lower deep with an additional 4 frames of pierco - as instructed by the beekeeper we purchased from. This lower deep is filling with thick comb that I fear will fall off the frame if moved for inspection - so I have left it alone.

Then we added a second deep box with a full 10 frames of peirco. Bees are using this box and the frames are much easier to work with an inspect.

Bees are fed HBH & sugar syrup consistantly.

Upon inspection, things are moving along nicely. I see larva & I think eggs. Never seen the queen.

Am I on the right track? What do drone cells look like? Should I really search for the queen or just be glad to see larva?

 

[NasalSponge]

If you see eggs in a good pattern then you have a queen and it is not nessary to lay eyes on her. Sounds like your doing fine. Drone cells are larger and have a domed cap.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...oft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADBF&tbs=isch:1

 

[johng]

Most people agree as long as you see eggs not just larva that you are ok. You will eventually need to inspect the bottom box the comb shouldn't fall off. If some comes off the bees will fix it. Drones cells look like little bullets they stick out farther than the rest.

 

[dave28210]

Most people agree as long as you see eggs not just larva that you are ok. You will eventually need to inspect the bottom box the comb shouldn't fall off. If some comes off the bees will fix it. Drones cells look like little bullets they stick out farther than the rest.

Yep, seeing eggs means things were ok at 3 days prior, give or take. :thumbsup: Often I don't want to agitate the bees by looking for the queen EVERY time I go in. The quicker I get out of the hive, the happier the girls are and the quicker they get back to what they wanna be doing.

 

[beekeeper1756]

Be encouraged! You're doing good.

Get you some reading glasses at your local drug store, etc. and use those to look for eggs. They will be extremely small, dead center at the bottom of a frame. Turning the frames into the sunlight so the sun shines down into the cell helps a lot.

Worker cells are capped flat and drone cells are capped with a raised cap and they look like bullets sticking up out of the hive. Can't miss'em.

Keep doing what you're doing. Sounds great to me.

Good luck and have a blast.

 

[Michael Bush]

Practice, practice practice...

 

[indypartridge]

I rarely saw the queen my first few years. As Michael says, it takes practice. So, keep an eye out for her when you're doing an inspection, but don't make finding her the focus.

As an aside, I always encourage new beekeepers to get involved in a local club. Clubs are great places to find mentors and get connected with other nearby beekeepers. Lots of clubs in Ohio:
http://www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/Regional & County Clubs/countyassociatio.html

 

[fish_stix]

Am I understanding correctly that you have only 8 frames in your lower deep? Then a 10 frame box on top with 10 frames? If that's the case then you probably have a real mess in the bottom box. It's best, especially for new beeks, to fill your boxes with frames. After you learn to manipulate them then you can cut down by a frame. You were given bum info by the guy you got the nuc from. Can you take pics of the bottom box next trip in there?