Hi there,
I'm a first year beekeeper in upstate NY. Bought two 3 lb packages each with a queen on 4/26/14 from Sam Comfort - treatment free, small cell bees.
Installed them into 8 frame medium hive bodies with a mixture of empty starter comb from Sam, some frames with full foundation and some with foundation strips. (Goal is to be foundationless, but I put in some foundation to try to keep them straight - some of the starter comb was a little wonky - the combs are now straight enough I think). I fed them 1:1 sugar syrup in a bucket feeder above the inner cover until 6/29 - today (in retrospect, I think that was too long).
5/11/14 They had 6 out of 8 frames filled with comb in the first medium hive body, I added a second medium hive body.
6/12/14 The second hive body had 6 out 8 frames drawn, I added a third. This third hive body has the least foundation yet - only 2 frames with foundation. The other 6 frames had popsicle stick guides and no foundation.
6/19/14
- Hive A inspection: a few swarm cups, starting to draw out foundation on those 2 frames in upper (3rd) hive body but no comb on any of the foundationless frames, great brood pattern I thought in 2 lower hive bodies, saw the queen.
- Hive B inspection: no swarm cups seen (I certainly could have missed them!), same as hive A. Also saw queen.
6/29/14
- Hive A inspection: I removed sugar syrup. No additional comb in the 3rd/top hive body (only 2 frames with comb). Nectar in almost every cell that I think should have had an egg or larvae in it, no eggs, the smallest larvae I would guess are maybe 2 days old (5 days from being laid as egg). Two swarm cells - I think one was capped and the other open.
- Hive B inspection: Same as hive A except youngest larvae maybe 3 days old (6 days from being laid as egg). And two capped supersedure cells, one capped swarm cell.
Both hives: I swapped some frames with brood/food from lower hive bodies with some foundationless frames with no comb in upper hive body. Did this because I saw a video with Dee Lusby working her hives and she was moving brood frames up into boxes that only had food in them to get the queen to move up. I was also thinking of one of the beek classes I took that talked about "opening" the brood chamber to prevent swarming. It's too late for that, but I'd like to prevent secondary and tertiary swarms, if I can. And really, I just want to do the right thing for the bees.
I don't think I killed both queens at my last inspection (that was my first fear when I opened both hives & realized there was no laying queen).
I think Hive A swarmed - I fed too long, didn't open up the brood chambers, they didn't want to start the foundationless frames and felt crowded.
I think Hive B superseded - same as above, plus the bees wanted a new queen.
I think I'm going to let them raise new queens.
So, my questions are:
1) let them raise new queens or buy mated queens and get them in there and laying?
2) do you think my assessment is right?
3) what can I do better next time?
Thanks so much! Want to do the best I can for the bees.
I'm a first year beekeeper in upstate NY. Bought two 3 lb packages each with a queen on 4/26/14 from Sam Comfort - treatment free, small cell bees.
Installed them into 8 frame medium hive bodies with a mixture of empty starter comb from Sam, some frames with full foundation and some with foundation strips. (Goal is to be foundationless, but I put in some foundation to try to keep them straight - some of the starter comb was a little wonky - the combs are now straight enough I think). I fed them 1:1 sugar syrup in a bucket feeder above the inner cover until 6/29 - today (in retrospect, I think that was too long).
5/11/14 They had 6 out of 8 frames filled with comb in the first medium hive body, I added a second medium hive body.
6/12/14 The second hive body had 6 out 8 frames drawn, I added a third. This third hive body has the least foundation yet - only 2 frames with foundation. The other 6 frames had popsicle stick guides and no foundation.
6/19/14
- Hive A inspection: a few swarm cups, starting to draw out foundation on those 2 frames in upper (3rd) hive body but no comb on any of the foundationless frames, great brood pattern I thought in 2 lower hive bodies, saw the queen.
- Hive B inspection: no swarm cups seen (I certainly could have missed them!), same as hive A. Also saw queen.
6/29/14
- Hive A inspection: I removed sugar syrup. No additional comb in the 3rd/top hive body (only 2 frames with comb). Nectar in almost every cell that I think should have had an egg or larvae in it, no eggs, the smallest larvae I would guess are maybe 2 days old (5 days from being laid as egg). Two swarm cells - I think one was capped and the other open.
- Hive B inspection: Same as hive A except youngest larvae maybe 3 days old (6 days from being laid as egg). And two capped supersedure cells, one capped swarm cell.
Both hives: I swapped some frames with brood/food from lower hive bodies with some foundationless frames with no comb in upper hive body. Did this because I saw a video with Dee Lusby working her hives and she was moving brood frames up into boxes that only had food in them to get the queen to move up. I was also thinking of one of the beek classes I took that talked about "opening" the brood chamber to prevent swarming. It's too late for that, but I'd like to prevent secondary and tertiary swarms, if I can. And really, I just want to do the right thing for the bees.
I don't think I killed both queens at my last inspection (that was my first fear when I opened both hives & realized there was no laying queen).
I think Hive A swarmed - I fed too long, didn't open up the brood chambers, they didn't want to start the foundationless frames and felt crowded.
I think Hive B superseded - same as above, plus the bees wanted a new queen.
I think I'm going to let them raise new queens.
So, my questions are:
1) let them raise new queens or buy mated queens and get them in there and laying?
2) do you think my assessment is right?
3) what can I do better next time?
Thanks so much! Want to do the best I can for the bees.


