- Joined
- Aug 27, 2020
- Messages
- 135
- Reaction score
- 178
- Location
- Leighton Shropshire
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 8 must stop now.....
I have one hive that has been a bit of a roller coaster hive all summer.
Was a really early swarm collection, and has swung between pingy, and downright defensive, whilst others adjacent the same day have been ok.
Every time I say.... 'last chance' they are nice, and get a stay of execution. Now, obviously they've grown over the summer, and just become unpleasurable to inspect. I should have done it ages ago, but hindsight is such a wonderful thing.![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
Options I think I have are
a)Find and kill the queen, then requeen using eggs from a nice colony, making sure only the nice frame is allowed to produce cells.
b)Requeen with bought in mated Queen
c) Unite with nicer colony
d) suck it up buttercup, and overwinter them, with as little contact as needed, and rethink in spring
I do have a couple of nice nucs at that apiary, though none are more than 3 full frames at the minute, and don't want to deplete them too much, though not seen a massive number of wasps yet. And a couple of full colonies there and at another apiary. Plus a couple of better populated nucs at the other apiary. If combining is it best in same apiary, or move them to another, or vice versa
Sat here musing with a very fat neck courtesy of them, not sure how they reached just below my ear, but it did hurt![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
Any suggestions as to best approach please.
Was a really early swarm collection, and has swung between pingy, and downright defensive, whilst others adjacent the same day have been ok.
Every time I say.... 'last chance' they are nice, and get a stay of execution. Now, obviously they've grown over the summer, and just become unpleasurable to inspect. I should have done it ages ago, but hindsight is such a wonderful thing.
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
Options I think I have are
a)Find and kill the queen, then requeen using eggs from a nice colony, making sure only the nice frame is allowed to produce cells.
b)Requeen with bought in mated Queen
c) Unite with nicer colony
d) suck it up buttercup, and overwinter them, with as little contact as needed, and rethink in spring
I do have a couple of nice nucs at that apiary, though none are more than 3 full frames at the minute, and don't want to deplete them too much, though not seen a massive number of wasps yet. And a couple of full colonies there and at another apiary. Plus a couple of better populated nucs at the other apiary. If combining is it best in same apiary, or move them to another, or vice versa
Sat here musing with a very fat neck courtesy of them, not sure how they reached just below my ear, but it did hurt
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
![Rolling on the floor laughing :rofl: 🤣](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f923.png)
Any suggestions as to best approach please.