all looks good im worried

[Bryanthebee]

hi all
we are coming up to our first complete year, last year we had a nuc swarm in two months.

Then we split, queen cells in both hives one hatched one did not,the one that did not we bought a new queen, but to late we had laying workers that killed the new queen.

we then had a problem with getting rid of the laying workers so we shock them out on to a blanket and the layers did not go back to the hive as we combined the both hives and only the flying bees returned.

we now have one good very strong hive in which all seems to be going well i just have this fear of last year coming back.

boy what a learning curve last year was.

did any one else have a good year like us.

 

[plumberman]

Annus Horribilus indeed. Think positive, you have gained a huge amount of experience in a short time and seem to have coped with it all.

Hope this year you learn less.......

 

[MrB]

did any one else have a good year like us.

Yes.
bought 5 frame nuc jun/july last year
Marked queen and damaged/killed her
q cells everywhere so split
one half made new queen other half didn't
after new q mated and laying, both re united
couple of weeks ago messed up an AS and bee's swarmed
caught swarm and re hived
hope i am now back on track

perhaps its coz i read the bad beekeepers club!

 

[Bryanthebee]

not only us that had an early swarm then hope this years is better for you.

 

[MrB]

hope this years is better for you.

I'll drink to that

 

[EdNewman]

Just out of interest, how can you tell if you have a laying worker?

 

[MrB]

Just out of interest, how can you tell if you have a laying worker?

the eggs may not be at the bottom of the cell as the workers abdomen is shorter than the queens

 

[Erichalfbee]

Eggs laid half way down the cell, often multiples,spotty brood pattern. All drones.

 

[Bryanthebee]

my hive became a drone haven with eggs on cell walls, the impossible thing was that you cannot identify them unless you catch them in the act. not enough hours in the day.

 

[rae]

Damn bees do not read the books.

We had a really easy first year. 2 nucs grew into big colonies and all went well. Both survived the winter.

In the second year we did the whole AS thing, lost some swarms, got some of them back. The downside was our first experience of the frustrations of queenlessness. Some colonies seem unable to get it right, however many eggs you give them, or queen cells they rear.

This year is similar. 3 colonies are roaring ahead. 3 are queenless, one or two maybe fixed as we have just run virgins in. One is determined to be queenless - attempted to run a virgin in, and she was attacked. No brood, so they seem intent on self destruction. The AS splits are doing their thing, some will be fine, some wont.

Getting "consistency" appears to be the level of beekness that we need to aspire to.

 

[Poly Hive]

Rae?

It is rare that a colony will actually be "queenless". Very rare. They almost always have a queen of some sort and if you try to introduce anything else they will react badly as you have discovered.

This is where the test frame is crucial so that you establish with out doubt whether there is a queen of some sort there.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last year 1 nuc at the end of May; nice bees (what do I know?). AS in July as found queen cells. They swarmed after that as I left two queen cells in but I caught the swarm.
Queen had disappeared from the AS bit when I checked a week later, so obviously she swarmed anyway, and I found three small queen cells in the middle of the frame. Left them to it to find all torn down at next inspection....this small colony I gave away in the autumn to a fellow BKA member who was in dire need of the skinny queen it contained.

I should have united the other two but didn't.

Also got a split from my BKA. Everybody overwintered.

I fed them all too much over winter and to cut a long story short I now have a swarm(mine),an AS and the two parent hives plus the ex BKA colony which has really bad chalkbrood so I need to requeen.
Unite with one of the others? Which?

Baptism of fire last year, not easy this year but at least I have enough colonies to rescue each other if need be and the knowledge to apply.

I was a vet in a past life and am used to looking after sickly creatures (hence the not uniting last year). Won't be so soft this year. Lots to learn.Lots to enjoy.
I wish I'd started years ago.

 

[Bryanthebee]

yes our over winter queen which was the AS mated queen, the hive has become very aggressive and just sting like no tommorow when inspecting, and follow after inspection which is a pain in the back side.
but over all lots of honey and she has been laying like a nutter, but she has to go soon not later.