1st Split Attempt

[enrico]

I confirm... Really enjoyed myself today!! .
Shook off all bees into the BB (Hence the bee covered hive). I am 99% certain I got all the QCs. Triple checked all frames. She is a super queen and has already filled the 4 frame Nuc I put her in with fresh new brood!
The bees from the queenless hive all came out into a cloud about 2 hours after the inspection but went back in after about 30 minutes. (See video in previous post)
Fingers crossed they won't swarm now.
Question:
Do I now leave them for a couple of weeks and then check for brood?

Lovely video!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I confirm... Really enjoyed myself today

Have a look at this.
It’s a mating swarm. If yours don’t swarm then you might see one. Spot the queen returning. She is there. I assure you.


View attachment trim.28A1192D-6B55-4AFD-995B-8B5DADC35279.MOV

 

[italic63]

Wow! Nice video. Thank you. That's exactly what they looked like today after their swarm like flight. They went pouring back into the hive!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

seen it a few times with nucs awaiting the queen to mate, this was before the times of mobile telephones that took pictures, let alone videos, I did get a few still once of a mating swarm returning but only because I had my SLR (camera, that is) in the garden at the time as I'd been photographing something else.

 

[ericbeaumont]

She is a super queen and has already filled the 4 frame Nuc I put her in with fresh new brood!

Check development because she'll be laying like a train for a few weeks more, and they may want to swarm again. Upgrade to a full hive if you have one. If not, take out of the nuc a couple of frames of sealed brood, shake off the bees, and give the combs to the Q- colony. In exchange, give foundation to keep them busy.

Do I now leave them for a couple of weeks and then check for brood?

Yes. Look quietly and without too much smoke and if in doubt, either leave another week or put in a frame of eggs & larvae from the old queen nuc, or both.

No time to put your feet up, though, because you have all those super frames to make.

 

[italic63]

Very clear advice. I will follow your suggestions. Thank you!
The queen is in a full size hive with 4 frames and a wooden divider so can easily expand with extra frames.

 

[Superlativesoul]

No. If you let EVERY single queen out and destroy ALL other cells the bees sort it out down to one queen themselves
https://wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/wbka-booklet-english-PDF.pdf
Page 17

Fantastic information many thanks for posting ,On another note how do you save to stickies
Regards John

 

[Erichalfbee]

On another note how do you save to stickies
Regards John

Ask a moderator ...if a thread is worth sticking one of us can add it to here Beekeeping Forum
Where it says INDEX OF STICKIES

If you want to remember a thread you can book mark it yourself by clicking on watch, top right of the thread.

 

[italic63]

Check development because she'll be laying like a train for a few weeks more, and they may want to swarm again. Upgrade to a full hive if you have one. If not, take out of the nuc a couple of frames of sealed brood, shake off the bees, and give the combs to the Q- colony. In exchange, give foundation to keep them busy.


Yes. Look quietly and without too much smoke and if in doubt, either leave another week or put in a frame of eggs & larvae from the old queen nuc, or both.

No time to put your feet up, though, because you have all those super frames to make.

While I'm waiting the 2/3 weeks for the new queen to start laying can I have a peek above the queen excluder or will that disrupt them too? I think the first super is capped and is like to harvest it.
Thanks

 

[ericbeaumont]

can I have a peek

I can't decide for you, Mr Italic!

Do you have a clearer board? If you were to nip in and out and work quietly...

 

[italic63]

I can't decide for you, Mr Italic!

Do you have a clearer board? If you were to nip in and out and work quietly...

Yes I do have a clearer board but I think I'll wait

 

[italic63]

I can't decide for you, Mr Italic!

Do you have a clearer board? If you were to nip in and out and work quietly...

Good morning from Italy again.
Well 3 weeks were up last Friday but it's been pouring rain here in the North for the last 10 days so got to them only this morning.
Original hive is still bursting with bees but not as many as before so I think they did swarm in the end.
The original queen is in the new split and going like a train. Plenty of bees now and lots of capped brood and some open. I had to feed the split over the last couple of weeks as the rain was making it impossible for them to forage.
In the original hive however not an ounce of brood anywhere and no sign of a queen!! All empty cells. No drone brood either.
I know at l least one virgin emerged and I put a second one in there myself (that was killed immediately).
The only thing I could think of was to take a frame of fresh brood from the split and give it back to the original hive.
Is this ok? Should I check back in a week to see if they are making QCs or leave them for 3 weeks?
The split had run out of laying room anyway so added a couple of frames of foundation (it's in a full DB hive)
Any ideas on why the emerged queen didn't make it?
- did the rain impede her return from the mating flight?
- did the virgin swarm (given they looked like they swarmed AFTER the split was done)?
- anything other reason?

Thanks as usual for your help!

 

[drex]

Yes, you can put in a frame of eggs and young larvae and check for cells in 3 days, and thin down to 1. However those bees are now getting old, depending on result of test frame, shake out or unite might be better?

 

[italic63]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I could do that but only having one hive to begin with I was really keen to split them this year. Need to end up with a couple of hives going into winter...

 

[ericbeaumont]

original queen is in the new split and going like a train

Make sure to give plenty of laying & super space or they may try and swarm again. If the queen is in her second or third year they may delay and supersede later ths summer.

Any ideas on why the emerged queen didn't make it?
- did the rain impede her return from the mating flight?
- did the virgin swarm (given they looked like they swarmed AFTER the split was done)?

Yes, she may have failed to return. Large-scale queen producers (10,000 a year) reported only 29% success a couple of years ago, due to bird predation.

Yes, the virgin will have swarmed if you hadn't cleared out all other QCs. Some are barely recognisable and look like peas, or are buried in brood and difficult to spot.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Large-scale queen producers (10,000 a year)

Edit: Italian queen producers.

 

[italic63]

Thanks. Yes I had heard about that