Anything to worry about, besides Q/C

[lorrick]

I looked in the hive today to find a couple of white bodies on the landing board? Quite large compared to a worker, I also found two complete Queen Cells, and the Queen is still there. The top super is full of capped honey and bees, the lower super is empty of honey but a few bees milling about as I only put it on a couple of weeks ago and the weather has been lousy, the Brood chamber is filled with stores and Worker brood and a couple of Drone cells, but two new Queen cells. It has 2 new frames undrawn in there, and the bees are congregating in the middle 5 or so frames and even hanging off the bottom of a couple of frames. What’s going on? the pictures are not in order but you will see the white grub.
http://s247.photobucket.com/user/lorrick/library/Bees

 

[Tom Bick]

From the photos it looks like you have some drones on the queen excluder with deformed wings suggesting a varroa problem.

The white things you are seeing on the landing board are ejected drone brood perhaps chilled brood or varroa damage.

The photos show no queen cells only thing close is a bit of wild comb suggesting incorrect spacing of the frames especially looking at the bulge of comb containing nectar/honey above.

 

[lorrick]

Hi Tom
I know there is no pictures of the Queen Cells, the other pictures where from a while ago, I was going to put some MAQS Formic Acid Bee hive Strip on them today and that is when I noticed what is going on as I last looked at them 4 days ago and nothing was there ?

 

[Tom Bick]

Did you spot the queen or eggs on your last inspection and were the queen cells sealed.

 

[beeno]

Hi lorrick,
Is it just me, but there does not seem to be a lot of bees or brood, but lots of stores! How long has the queen excluder been on it looks too clean? They are not all in the top super with the queen are they? Tom, well spotted about the wings on the drones. This could not have happened if they were caught on the wrong side of the QE could it. Also, drone brood under the frame is normal, you may have knocked the drone brood off in handling the frame thereof the mummies on the landing board as the bees did their house keeping or it could indeed be varroa. Did you do OA at Christmas? Some more experienced people like Tom will come along in a minute and get you sorted. Good luck for tomorrow its going to be a nice day!

 

[lorrick]

Hi Their
I did not see anything there 4 days ago ? I have had the colony for 4 weeks as it was a swarm that some one took out of a garden last year and looked after overwinter for me, The queen was on the frames in the brood chamber 4 days ago. I am tempted check and see that the Queen is still present, if not I will leave the queen cells in place, if she is I might remove queen cells and if they re appear it might be a supercedure, as reading the article by Finman he is quite right that the priority is to keep the bees alive and well. As for O/A I looked it up on my abbreviation list and no they have not been, as I have just got them that it why I was going to use this new Formic Acid pad its only been here for a few weeks and you can use it anytime of the year without and detriment to the honey ! I am on a course at the moment with John Everett, and we have just been covering Varroa, hence going to treat them, I have had a board under the hive and there is no major infestation at the moment. ! And I apologies to anyone who finds a blue highlighted word on here that comes up with an advert, it is really annoying. Oh yes sorry the pictures of the rest of the colony are a few weeks old, I could not find a way of attaching one picture to the post.

 

[beeno]

Hi lorrick,
As a virgin newbie you have got a lot to sort out there. I think you need an experienced beek to inspect the hive with you, if not the course tutor, maybe he can put you in touch with the appropriate person! That way there is no time lost in putting things right for your colony. Everything that needs doing can be done in one go. Today, being Saturday is a good day for people to lend you a hand! Good luck.

 

[susbees]

From the photos it looks like you have some drones on the queen excluder with deformed wings suggesting a varroa problem.

The white things you are seeing on the landing board are ejected drone brood perhaps chilled brood or varroa damage.

The photos show no queen cells only thing close is a bit of wild comb suggesting incorrect spacing of the frames especially looking at the bulge of comb containing nectar/honey above.

Yes, yes, and yes. The first drone brood of the season attracts varroa like a magnet...a good indicator of a varroa issue. Hard to tell but looks like the brood nest has been backfilled. Are there eggs? And, small point, but the QE will work better if it's at 90 degrees to the frames.

 

[mbc]

And, small point, but the QE will work better if it's at 90 degrees to the frames.

I like the slots running parallel myself, why is it you think they work better at 90 degrees ?

 

[Arfermo]

I like the slots running parallel myself.

Couldn't agree more. It makes no difference either way actually. Bees know what to do !!!

 

[BeeJayBee]

I like the slots running parallel myself,

Can't arrange it any other way with Langstroths.

 

[lorrick]

I have sent some pictures and explained it to my instructor, answer "No 2 Bee with tongue out starving? Odd dead larvae neglected brood cos no food is being foraged for so feed, classic deformed wing bee virus treat for varroa". So as away today had to take the wife to Chelsea Flower Show and just got back 21.40 I will have to wait until tomorrow to sort things out.

 

[Tom Bick]

From the photos provided the one thing is they are far from starving

 

[BeeJayBee]

From the photos provided the one thing is they are far from starving

If the second picture is the one I think it is, there's an antenna sticking out, but not a tongue.

 

[lorrick]

That is what I have thought, far be it for me to say anything I can just about lift the top super as it is full. I am thinking that as I am a beginner I might remove the first super above the brood that I placed in there and put it under the brood chamber, remove the Q/E and place the new Varroa pads in thereand put the full super back on top of the brood chamber, after checking if the original queen is still there, if she is remove the 2 queen cells and check in a few days to see if they have made some more (supercedure) or if I cant find the queen (a good chance as I am new to this) leave the Q/C's on the frame and hope for the best. Any comments welcome.
Regards
Richard

 

[beeno]

Hi lorrick,
Do make sure that the queen has room to lay in the brood nest i.e. empty cells. If she is 'honey bound' as it is called they will swarm. Sorry that as a newbie you have been given a mess to sort out and that you have no one nearby to give practical assistance. Good luck.

 

[lorrick]

Hi Beeno
I went out this morning to find the sky full of bees, I thought it was to late, I took the hive apart and counted 7 queen cells, I have checked and can not find the queen anywhere but I have found freshly laid lave, so I am assuming she is there as a mass of bees on every frame, to top super is full capped honey, and she has a frame and a half of polished cells to play with, I have removed all the queen cells except the biggest one in case it is a supercession and have put the new Formic Acid pads in the hive, I can not see a lot that would make it swarm. My friend that got back to me said it might be a play flight as they where out in there thousands and it is a nice day here, I know how they feel and have now to my relief gone back in the box

 

[lorrick]

later this morning my friend turned up to give some advice, and when we went to the now quieter hive, I found a Virgin Queen walking out of the cardboard box I had put all the removed Queen Cells in So I was advised to put her back in the hive which I have done, Now after talking to my Teacher I have 4 variables which make it so bloody hard to figure out why people keep Bees !

1. the old Queen has died or flown off,
2. The re introduced queen has been killed off
3. The virgin queen is dead so I can not remove the Queen Cell I left in there
4. The original Queen is in there, the new Queen is in there (as it is as I have just seen her) and there is a queen cell.
Being me in my hast to mark the Queen I found, I inadvertently put a tiny bit of colour on a wing, which has now promptly stuck to the other wing, making flight impossible, if it was the old queen no problem ! What else can go wrong. I have just bought a Nucleus box and another National Hive as if it swarms tomorrow I would like to see if I can catch it. Oh yes I put the Varroa treatment in this morning and now find out I shouldn't have as it is more likely to make the bees swarm if they whee going to due to the smell.
So much for the quite life.

 

[Moggett]

If you walk a virgin queen into a colony it will usually seek out the resident queen and kill it.

It's very easy for a new beekeeper to get overwhelmed when this sort of thing happens. In an ideal world it would be best for an experienced beekeeper to help you until you get this sorted out. Good luck.

 

[beeno]

Hi again lorrick,
Watch out for cast swarm! Otherwise leave alone for 3 weeks (phew) open up hive and find... eggs. May the force be with you. Lots of luck.