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brianmc

New Bee
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Jan 7, 2013
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Location
Ireland
Hive Type
National
Questions from a beginner...

I had 2 very small colonies coming out of winter... both of these started on swarming earlier than I hoped... not early... they were just still small colonies at the time.

The first - I attempted giving them an extra brood box and knocking back queen cells to delay the inevitable but it didn't work. I ended up losing the queen and split the two brood boxes. Both of these have raised new queens and only just started to lay in the last few days.

The second colony was also small and started on swarming about a week later. I took out the (2011) queen into a nuc and reduced the queen cells to the "best" one. I checked the hive yesterday to discover that the queen never emerged. Dead in the cell.

I should have kept a closer eye on the nuc in the meantime too... she's starting towards swarming again... some charged queen cups.

So... now... There's not much time left and I'd like some honey...

I think I'll merge the "dead in cell" hive with one of the two that has new queens.

I also have to do something with the nuc containing the old queen. So... what?

I could take the old queen out into a nuc again and use her future brood to boost other colonies for another few weeks perhaps?

What about the nuc full of bees though? Can I do a three way merge with the two boxes I mentioned above? Is the fact that they're currently on a swarming track an issue?

My ideal would be to have one strong colony for whatever nectar is left this year and an additional two colonies to bring through to next year. I'd settle for one additional colony to bring through winter.

What would some of you real beekeepers do? :)
 
Questions from a beginner...



What would some of you real beekeepers do? :)

Small colonies which swarmed very early.....You have now a bad beestock. Buy good quality queens and change them.

It is middle July and hives have lots of time to develope what ever.

If those hives have not rised to good hives, you have no hope towards autumn.

Get new queens. Look what happens then. You may return to those wild type bees later if you feel so.
I have had those bstds in my early years.

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Small colonies which swarmed very early.....You have now a bad beestock. Buy good quality queens and change them.

It is middle July and hives have lots of time to develope what ever.

If those hives have not rised to good hives, you have no hope towards autumn.

Get new queens. Look what happens then. You may return to those wild type bees later if you feel so.
I have had those bstds in my early years.

.


Thanks Finman. I have been considering that.

I will find some new queens.

My problem at the minute though, is that Ireland is currently having a heatwave and that doesn't happen very often. Blackberry is yielding nectar all around me and I have 4 "half colonies".

Will merging the bees from the swarming nuc into another hive be a problem? I'd like to merge something today or tomorrow to get some small honey yield.

If this is a crazy idea then I might give myself a few more weeks of time and try heather in August.
 
I'd like to merge something today or tomorrow to get some small honey yield.

.

If you are so earger, you may take a honey frame from the hive and take honey with spoon. If you extract 2 kilos, it only makes extractors walls dirty. Normally edgemost frames do not have brood.

Small colonies does not bríng honey in beekeeping meaning.
But if there are honey, you may take it off with spoon and sieve it.

A few warm days do not give honey. You hardly notice it.

I took me several years before I start to get honey, even if I have 8 hives (mongrels). Then I got a caucasien queen and it brought 50 kg honey.

I had a normal good hive on balance. It brings 1-3 kg a day. I have taken away 50 kg capped honey and another 50 kg is there uncapped. They continue their working.
 
If you extract 2 kilos, it only makes extractors walls dirty.

I want more than 2 kilos...

Our warm spell is forecast to last for another couple of weeks... maybe more... the whole country is in shock!

Anyway, if I act now and merge three small colonies... 2 X ~9 frames of bees + 1 X 4 frames of bees, surely I can potentially get more than 2 kilos of honey?

I'm glad you replied to my thread. I learn a lot from your contributions. I believe you are correct about better queens.

But does my plan really make no sense for this seasons honey?

Requeening this year is a good plan for next seasons honey but I must be able to maximise what is left of this year too somehow?
 
Buy in some new queens, those you have at present are just causing you aggravation and wasted time. you could merge but in the short term you will probably have the wrong balance between foragers and house bees. They may give you a small amount of honey in August if conditions are right.
 
"knocking back queen cells to delay the inevitable..."

"....but it didn't work."

no surprise there then - just means you have to inspect every FOUR days to be sure.

have you read the welsh QC pdf?????


to quell swarming instinct you need to break the QUEEN-BEES-BROOD triangle - it's just like firefighting for anyone who has done their annual fire lecture.
 
" I checked the hive yesterday to discover that the queen never emerged. Dead in the cell."

are you sure it's not a worker - was it head down?


did you leave best OPEN QC or best sealed???
 
to quell swarming instinct you need to break the QUEEN-BEES-BROOD triangle - it's just like firefighting for anyone who has done their annual fire lecture.[/QUOTE]

How do you do that then?
 
to quell swarming instinct you need to break the QUEEN-BEES-BROOD triangle -.

[/QUOTE]

There is no triangle.

Swarming is a bee's habit to propagate itself. It is the most impoirtant thing if species will exist on earth.

Non swarming and slow swarming feature ciomes from selection by humans.
Calm bees are the same.

If the bee stock has its natural instincts, it means natural genes are OK, it will swarm what ever you do.

Only way is to get select a non swarmy bees stock and start with that.
No experienced beekeeper work with natural bees. It is too big job and give poor results.



.

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Small colonies which swarmed very early.....You have now a bad beestock. Buy good quality queens and change them.
...Get new queens. Look what happens then. You may return to those wild type bees later if you feel so.
Buy in some new queens, those you have at present are just causing you aggravation and wasted time...
Hi brianmc,
In the light of the quotes above and for other Irish beekeepers on this forum (and because this is the opportunity for me to try the http://www.beekeeping.ie/html/buckfast_links.html


Regards
Reiner" TARGET="_blank"> tag):

http://www.beekeeping.ie/html/buckfast_links.html


Regards
Reiner


Regards
Reiner" //You may change most attributes of iframe tag below, such as width and height: document.write('')
 

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