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I'm very glad I didn't buy a new queen as I've just been into the hive to check if they'd done anything with the brood frame I gave them a few days ago; there was a play cup and something that looked similar/like a v prominent capped drone cell and I was just thinking "I don't know what to do...

in the Westmorland Dales, the new northern section they added a few years back.

Hi John, am not too far away in the Yorkshire Dales - the new bit! Welcome to the forum 🐝!

Thanks both, lots to think about ...for me this working things out is an unexpected pleasure of beekeeping, and I look forward to the day I feel like I "know" my bees a bit more 💛

This is only my first full year so I'm a bit nervous of major expenditure in case I mess things up...

Def no issue with the investment idea (I keep rare breed poultry as well), just a lot of money, but if she's worth that much who am I to argue?

I have never bought a queen before, so I have no idea what's best ; I don't necessarily need 200lb of honey though or do I? 🤔

Yes they do have Jolanta' but wow £££!

And do I want a native queen or a buckfast - conditions where I live are challenging so a Northumberland Queen (if there are any left) feels like it might be more suitable but what do I know 😄

That is tempting...if I do that do presumably I leave the brood in there to provide nurse bees when she starts laying?

Ok no queen in the colony I could reach and hive so I've given them a frame of brood from my other hive, and we'll see what happens. The swarm I couldn't reach flew away on Sunday on the only dry day for weeks... Assuming the Q- colony make some queen cells, do I need to choose one to leave, or...

Was planning on doing an inspection at the weekend - not wanting to prompt another escape by fussing them too soon, but it’s just over a week since I hived them so maybe I should look tomorrow; I had thought they wouldn’t stay there without her, but possibly that’s not how it works?

No, just the one swarming occasion but resulting in two separate clumps of bees in adjacent branches in the same tree…

Sorry I have confused myself - and you - I called it secondary because it was slightly smaller, but I don’t know for definite as both sets were there when I got in from work…as you say we’ll see if they build comb where they are, it’s not the most sheltered place they could have chosen.

If they were reachable I’d wondered about putting them “back” in with the others but as I can’t get to them it’s irrelevant! Just sad seeing them there doing nothing - but from what you’ve just said I’ve learnt something at least, as I didn’t know whether they were two Queens two swarms or one...

My strongest hive swarmed about ten days ago (my fault) and two similar/sized lumps of bees settled on an elder tree half way up a steep bank over a beck… I managed to reach one and hived it, they absconded the first time but stayed when I tried again…with a bribe of a honey frame to encourage...

I’m picking up a small colony next week and wondering whether they’ll be best in the nuc for a bit or whether to move them straight into their smart new poly hive? And if the latter will I need dummy boards in the BB, or will foundation and some stores (and poss some brood from another hive) be...

It came with my Swienty hive and I didn’t use it until the bees glued the roof on…but could it be causing problems in this weather? I’ve assumed the poly hive will be helping keep them as cool as they need (there’s no excessive bearding or condensation) but wonder if they’d be better without the...

I wish…maybe one day when life has settled back down again 🤞

Mine’s a saloon so a lot less room in the back 😎