thebhoy
House Bee
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2009
- Messages
- 332
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Sutton, London
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 28
Have 14 x 12 hive, have two supers on...both drawn, one 1/2 full but not capped, one with some stores ...not much.
Added 2nd BB on Sat 29th June...12 frames... 10.5 drawn when checked on Sat 6th ...one week ....with arches of stores formed, queen found on one frame laying it up and another frame part laid......so all looking promising.
First BB had uncharged QC cups both swarm and supercedure.
In tonight to take a frame of eggs out for another hive (to raise new queen as is swarmy hive...posted for advice at weekend)....supers still the same but now top BB was filled with uncapped stores, no additional eggs to what was there on Saturday.
Checking bottom...original BB...and found several...quite a few really...charged qc's ...these are the first in this hive this year and couldn't see queen but some eggs.
First thought was that they had topped her so went through BB's again and eventually found her.
My Challenge now bees are in swarm mode....I am going on holiday a week on Friday.
1) Do an A/S?....Could I use the BB and frames that are full of stores and would the bees move these stores up into the supers to give the queen somewhere to lay? My reason in the immediate short term is that I am out of frames until I can get more in a few days.
2) Do as point one only use an empty super with mixed drawn and foundation frames on top of BB without excluder.
3) Create a new nuc with original queen, a few frames and then allow the original hive to raise a new queen...ensuring I knock the cells down to one before I go on holiday.
4) The actual best solution from the experienced beeks Finman, Rab etc
Thanks in advance folks...........this beekeeping malarky doesn't have test you
Added 2nd BB on Sat 29th June...12 frames... 10.5 drawn when checked on Sat 6th ...one week ....with arches of stores formed, queen found on one frame laying it up and another frame part laid......so all looking promising.
First BB had uncharged QC cups both swarm and supercedure.
In tonight to take a frame of eggs out for another hive (to raise new queen as is swarmy hive...posted for advice at weekend)....supers still the same but now top BB was filled with uncapped stores, no additional eggs to what was there on Saturday.
Checking bottom...original BB...and found several...quite a few really...charged qc's ...these are the first in this hive this year and couldn't see queen but some eggs.
First thought was that they had topped her so went through BB's again and eventually found her.
My Challenge now bees are in swarm mode....I am going on holiday a week on Friday.
1) Do an A/S?....Could I use the BB and frames that are full of stores and would the bees move these stores up into the supers to give the queen somewhere to lay? My reason in the immediate short term is that I am out of frames until I can get more in a few days.
2) Do as point one only use an empty super with mixed drawn and foundation frames on top of BB without excluder.
3) Create a new nuc with original queen, a few frames and then allow the original hive to raise a new queen...ensuring I knock the cells down to one before I go on holiday.
4) The actual best solution from the experienced beeks Finman, Rab etc
Thanks in advance folks...........this beekeeping malarky doesn't have test you
