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Gave the hive a good once over. The queenright split is fairly low on bees but not desperate and still a reasonable amount of stores. Obviously most of the bees have drifted back. It on the same apiary only a couple metres away if that. I only turned the entrances so they are opposing. Queen...

Mystery solved. The bump the hive received closed off both entrances to the drones. So yep, escape bid.... Everyone else seems to have been fine 🤞 will inspect later if it's not torrential...

If I did it was inadvertent! These anel hives have a hinged reducer gate thingy (technical term) on two entrances. I would say it's possible I accidentally dropped both. Edit, actually I'm sure I left one wedged at an angle and closed the other.

I thought that initially but they were head up so I'd guess not. Odd though. Unless maybe I had the queen reducer gate on the hive entrance.... I moved the quueenright lot to a anel plastic hive. Could've been a bid for escape? I'll have a better look tomorrow.

Sorry to interrupt the academic debate 😂 but back OT.... Just come back to it after another 5 days away. Looks like a lot of drift has happened or I missed a QC and the queenright box has swarmed. A badger or similar also knocked the super a bit leaving 1cm gap of open brood box for good...

Even better, none of that matters because I've still got the queen anyway 😁👍

Thanks. Reassuring to know!

So.... Back to the topic 😁 I inspected today. 5 capped and 2 uncapped queen cells with no larvae or eggs but.... I found the queen. I might've mistaken her for a VQ but for a bit of red paint. She's somehow rubbed off a lot of her red paint. Maybe it's come off after slimming down? She didn't...

Some very interesting discussions here! I'm debating going in at the 5 day mark, probably tomorrow late afternoon. Then if I find the queen, doing a split. One with her, one with an isolated queen cell assuming they are present. If there are no queen cells or queen I can add a mated queen. But...

Popped over today. LOTS of activity. It was hot but certainly a very congested entrance and lingering bees. 10-20 scout bees in and out of the bait hive about 20 yards away....

This is as I understood it. But lots of contradictory advice on it... Not had the experience to know either way.

Certainly will. I'll fill out the necessaries shortly!

Taunton. But yes, pretty drizzly here too!

Good to know. Ta!

To be honest that depends on my eyes on the day. I'll take some glasses in case next time though you can rest assured!

I'm not necessarily expecting loads but aware that my intervention might not have been ideal so prepared for some emergency cells.

I'll try and find it!

Also, definitely agree regards another hive. Definitely an aim so this will probably provide the necessity!

The knocking down was based on advice in an article which advised it if young brood or eggs were present. But I do see what you are saying. In theory with very young brood and lots of nurse bees/sealedbrood and resources they should be able to produce more QCs?

After some advice.... Have a colony in it's second year. From a local nuc of buckfast bees. They made it through winter well. No major issues, few wax moth larvae. They have filled a 10 frame langstroth brood box and I've put a shallow super on. Last inspection there was a lot of cross comb...