Autumn spring disaster

[engineman]

Late summer last year there was a serious family health problem which meant bees were not looked after or inspected as they should have been .
I had put a second broodchamber on one hive, with only half the number of frames(with drawn out comb), I had the intention of calling at thornes the next day and collecting frames and foundation,
This didn't happen and by the time I was able to think of bees again it was too late in the year to do anything about it.
They have all survived the winter, flying well, loads of pollen but the hive with half full second broodchamber now has comb glued to the queen excluder (which had been left on) at 45degrees to the frames.
Any suggestions as to how I should attempt to sort this out and when should I do this, seems a little early at the moment, one other thing this hive, glues absolutly everything together.
Any advise would be appreciated
Peter

 

[oliver90owner]

Depends, really, as to what is in the offending combs. An early sort out is recommended as it will not get any easier.

If being brooded, you might be lucky and find the queen to put her somewhere away from the offending comb. Another Q/E comes to mind. Three weeks and no brood might be lost. Doubt it happens like that, though.

If stores, stick them below the brood box, bruise any cappings and let them move them up. More judicious use of excluders needed, perhaps.

So cannot really offer definitive advice. Good luck. They may all fall off the excluder as soon as you shift it!

RAB

 

[enrico]

Carefully lift the queen excluder and try and get a knife underneath to cut of the frames so that they drop back into the brood box, push a long knife through the QE to free as much of the com as you can from the side walls and try and lift the QE clear with the comb attached. Turn it upside down on a roof. Next break each separate layer of comb free of the QE and examine it for what is on it and in it. Personally I would make sure HM is certainly not there, shake the rest of the bees into the hive and put mainly any comb with brood in one container and any food only comb in another. Do all this until you have the section all clear and clean and replace with new frames. Now shake any bees that are left in the roof into the hive. I would dispose of brood comb but that is your choice and I would leave food comb above a crown board for the bees to strip the food out.
You will lose bees and brood but your most important thing is to try and find the queen early and ensure she is safe.
You have to be fairly tough about the fact that the whole thing needs bringing back to a proper hive that you can control. The longer you leave it the worse it will get so the next warm day you have a job! Get well kitted up and just go for it!
Best of luck
E

 

[engineman]

Thanks Oliver90owner and enreco
I suppose there isnt really an EASY way out of it, I might buy a pair of expensive gloves before I attempt to take it apart, most of my equipment, is like me, getting old, I started beekeeping in 1978 with 2 WBC hives for £20 by 1995 I had 24 commercial hives, at that point I had to decide between bees and job, the job won, then 3 years ago someone ask if I could remove a swarm, has I had kept some hives and equipment I did,
2 days later I had a swarm(cast) come into the garden shed and another a month later, this year there is a 50acre field of oil seed rape within yards of the hives, not yet in flower but they are collecting rape honey from a field 1/4 mile away, should be a good year, weather permitting

 

[enrico]

Oh that we could all get bees that easily! The money is in selling your bees these days and not the honey!! Good luck, let me know how you get on!
E

 

[user 6228]

As regards the removal of the QEx ( at the risk of grandmothers and eggs), have you considered using a piece of wire with a toggle at each end as handles, used cheese slicer style to freed the QEx?

 

[engineman]

slice free queen excluder

Dont think it would work, if I did that it would drop the combs attached to the excluder down into to the hive body but thanks for the suggestion as it might work if I cut the excluder down the line were the unframed combs are attached to the frames then by cutting between the framed and unframed I might be able to lift them out, or not
The bees would love that and would be very helpful while I was doing it but it might be my only option,
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction

 

[mbc]

An early sort out is recommended as it will not get any easier.

My thoughts too.

With regards to buying new expensive gloves, I'd advise using marigolds or spontex tough for dealing with wild comb as its likely to be a sticky job.

The way I'd deal with it is to make sure you have the required number of new frames ready, take out the wild comb as best you can and shake or brush the bees off(a washing up bowl is handy to place the wild comb in), put the new frames in the space, replace the queen excluder, crown board on top and the wild comb sitting on this, with an eek or empty super for space if necessary.
A good tip before handling/dismantling the wild comb is to smoke the bees down, to drive most of them off to make it easier but primarily to try and get the queen out of harms way.

 

[drstitson]

"I might buy a pair of expensive gloves before I attempt to take it apart"

no need and won't help.

just some marigolds is all that's needed.