New beekeeper here. My goals for this year are 1) learn about bees and beekeeping 2) getting two hives through the winter. Making honey is way down on the priority list.
I started with two nucs at the end of May. I'm managing one as a single deep based on the advice of the nuc supplier I have been working with. The other hive I had two deeps on. Both of the hives are packed and filled with brood/stores so swarm control is my watchout. I've had supers on for a few weeks, but they have not drawn any comb in them yet.
I wanted to get the double deep down to a single. Since it had over ten frames of brood and plenty of stores I decided make a double nuc ala Mike Palmer. I bought two queens and placed two frames of brood, one frame of honey and one partially drawn frame in each one along with the queens. That was last Wednesday. On Sunday, day four, I found eggs in both nucs and foraging flights have started. Good news on the nucs at least. Not out of the woods yet, but promising beginning.
The donor hive had over six frames of brood and was filled with stores, and overflowing with bees after the split. I found the queen in there when I made the split, but it seemed unusual that she was not moving around at all. When I looked in that hive this morning, day 4 after split, I found it still full of brood and stores, overflowing with bees, but no eggs and several frames had supersedure cells. Most of the cells were capped, one was open and was full of royal jelly with the larva. It appears my instinct was correct that there was something wrong with the queen, since they must have started building those cells before the split. I probably injured her the weekend before during my inspection. Shame that, she was an awesome producer. Clumsiness is still something I am struggling with.
I knew enough not to destroy the cells. I figured in for a dime, in for a dollar, so I pulled a frame with two cells and another frame of stores and stuck them in a four frame nuc. I shook some bees from the other hive into it along with two frames of foundation and closed it up. I figured this gives two chances of getting a functioning queen. I'll open this nuc up in a day or two and hope any foragers reorient to it.
Now the question is how to proceed. I also would like some honest criticism on everything I have done.
My options at this point as I see them.
1) Let things go as they are. However, that means it will be at least the end of August before any new bees emerge from the queens now in the cells. I'm not sure if that is enough time for them to build up stores for the winter. Also, since I left at least three cells (I don't remember exactly how many), I have the chance of cast swarms.
2) Try to find a replacement queen. If I do this, how would I introduce her? Do I have to go back in and destroy all queen cells?
The good thing is that in our area we have strong end of summer/early fall flows of Goldenrod and Japanese Knotweed. The flows should start by mid August, goldenrod is just starting to flower now. That is why I thought the timing on the double nuc was perfect. As long as we don't have an early frost the bees should be able to build stores well into September.
Thanks for any advice, or criticism, you can give. I sincere about both, my priorities demand it.
I started with two nucs at the end of May. I'm managing one as a single deep based on the advice of the nuc supplier I have been working with. The other hive I had two deeps on. Both of the hives are packed and filled with brood/stores so swarm control is my watchout. I've had supers on for a few weeks, but they have not drawn any comb in them yet.
I wanted to get the double deep down to a single. Since it had over ten frames of brood and plenty of stores I decided make a double nuc ala Mike Palmer. I bought two queens and placed two frames of brood, one frame of honey and one partially drawn frame in each one along with the queens. That was last Wednesday. On Sunday, day four, I found eggs in both nucs and foraging flights have started. Good news on the nucs at least. Not out of the woods yet, but promising beginning.
The donor hive had over six frames of brood and was filled with stores, and overflowing with bees after the split. I found the queen in there when I made the split, but it seemed unusual that she was not moving around at all. When I looked in that hive this morning, day 4 after split, I found it still full of brood and stores, overflowing with bees, but no eggs and several frames had supersedure cells. Most of the cells were capped, one was open and was full of royal jelly with the larva. It appears my instinct was correct that there was something wrong with the queen, since they must have started building those cells before the split. I probably injured her the weekend before during my inspection. Shame that, she was an awesome producer. Clumsiness is still something I am struggling with.
I knew enough not to destroy the cells. I figured in for a dime, in for a dollar, so I pulled a frame with two cells and another frame of stores and stuck them in a four frame nuc. I shook some bees from the other hive into it along with two frames of foundation and closed it up. I figured this gives two chances of getting a functioning queen. I'll open this nuc up in a day or two and hope any foragers reorient to it.
Now the question is how to proceed. I also would like some honest criticism on everything I have done.
My options at this point as I see them.
1) Let things go as they are. However, that means it will be at least the end of August before any new bees emerge from the queens now in the cells. I'm not sure if that is enough time for them to build up stores for the winter. Also, since I left at least three cells (I don't remember exactly how many), I have the chance of cast swarms.
2) Try to find a replacement queen. If I do this, how would I introduce her? Do I have to go back in and destroy all queen cells?
The good thing is that in our area we have strong end of summer/early fall flows of Goldenrod and Japanese Knotweed. The flows should start by mid August, goldenrod is just starting to flower now. That is why I thought the timing on the double nuc was perfect. As long as we don't have an early frost the bees should be able to build stores well into September.
Thanks for any advice, or criticism, you can give. I sincere about both, my priorities demand it.
