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As an aside, if the refractometer says it's OK even when not capped I presume.....it's OK to harvest?

Without a doubt. Only mid June, 3 frames of brood - it'll move up to a hive by the end of August & then the ivy will come in in September.

I think you'll find it can be saved ;) ... with patience.

And now you're just twisting my words with your condescending attitude. Really?! Obviously intervention is required of some sort. For other beginners out there, let me explain my experience with a hive whose queen disappeared, where workers then became drone layers & where I didn't want to...

Honestly, I don’t want you to bite. Sometimes being a beginner is a good thing as you are not stuck in your ways which in turn allows you to challenge things to decide the best route for you. That may be right or wrong, either way you learn. So far all you’ve offered is the age old ‘shake them...

Not on their own, no. But they can help in establishing a new colony.

And your statement is misleading and incorrect. Firstly it's not a dead loss situation - those bees still have value although we disagree on how to best maximise that. Shaken out bees will both be accepted and not accepted into neighbouring hives. I've seen with my own eyes the bodies of...

As the ad is from April I guess there isn't too much demand. Incredible though eh!

I completely agree. I feel when people say "just shake them out" that they are sometimes loosing the value in those bees - yes they are old but they're not useless. I accept that as a relative beginner I probably want to save everything (or maybe it's just going the extra mile), however, I feel...

Yes. The OP Can Always introduced a frame of brood from another hive to bolster the population and provide new, young bees.

Why not either: 1: buy in a mated queen immediately & introduc (get rid of the old queen before introduction) 2: let them raise a queen. If she's rubbish you can still introduced a mated queen later. At least this way you get to keep, & hopefully benefit from the swarm.

Ah ok....I'm not looking to buy a nuc, but wondered why it seemed to be a benefit to get an over wintered queen earlier in the season. Now I understand. Thank you!

The title says it all really. Nucs with overwintered queens seem to command a slightly higher price....why is that? Simply proof that she can survive winter??

That is good to hear. Was worried a triple brood would be some monstrous beast never to be contemplated!

Thanks for that. Out of interest, do people ever get to triple brood? Genuine question as my double brood (Dadant) is approximately equal to a triple brood National deep.

Interesting. And I guess that means that later in the season you could just split the 2 boxes to have a second colony, either adding a mated queen or letting them raise one themselves?

Were you to add a second brood box underneath the 2 supers (in top of the original brood box) is there a risk that the bees would then fill the additional brood box with nectar rather than the supers?

I think if you've done your homework & you believe a given approach will work then that's what you should do. There is rarely, if ever, only one way of doing things & we all learn by making mistakes. Making our own informed decisions will I believe make us better bee keepers.

I couldn't resist - & there is indeed a swarm, albeit very small. Will move the hive tonight and see what we've got next week. At best though it'll be 2.5 seams I think.

I'm being lazy & it's hot! That said, I think I will as I believe the best time to move them is as soon as possible - is that right? If so, I'd move them tonight. Of course....it'll probably be completely empty now! :ROFLMAO: