Delayed Inspection

[Floyd]

Thanks guys, so much helpful information. I have converted a CB to a split board and the weather looks pleasing for tomorrow, so will do a vertical split and check once again for eggs (need a magnifying glass these days!) and take some photos if I remember.

Also have moved over to hessian as fuel for the smoker and must say I was pleasantly surprised, nice cool smoke and far less acrid than the rotten wood I have used previously.

Thanks once again, have a good day
Lee

 

[Vanterrier]

Use the phone camera with magnification turned up to view the eggs rather than a magnifying glass...
K

 

[Sutty]

I'd be inclined to do it early, before the weather is too nice in case they are waiting to swarm

 

[ericbeaumont]

a vertical split is like removing the queen in a nuc but keeping everything in the one stack. If that's your plan, you would ensure the queen is in the top box.

Others (eg Dan Basterfield who included this in his BeeCraft series last year) say that the queen should be in the lower box.

I'm going for the latter, but I wonder how much it matters.

Either works, depending what you fancy on the day.

Standard AS gives less work: Q+frame+foundation in the new bottom box, rest above the SB; easier to check QCs. As the bottom Q+ lot will rebuild and forage, best give a super.

If you want to make increase, you could use 3 or more SBs, and give a QC+bees+brood in each; make entrances point in different directions.

 

[Sutty]

The reverse method would avoid having to find a queen who may not be there, or being certain she isn't.

 

[ericbeaumont]

The reverse method would avoid having to find a queen who may not be there, or being certain she isn't.

Yes, I agree, and that's what I did last week, as you described earlier, except that I had no SQC:
Put one or two combs with eggs & young brood and one sealed QC in a new box and fill with a couple of frames of stores & drawn comb or foundation, put on the original floor. Add a double mesh or solid board with an entrance above. Brood box goes next taking down all the queen cells. Then QE and any supers.
All the flying bees should return to the lower box and keep the QC warm to develop. Top box now has no flying bees, no QCs, but may have a Q.
If the top box has no Q they should make EQCs, if they don't they are probably Q+. Look in 3-4 days.
If no EQCs in top box you could then move them away as a split, if there are you can take them down and reunite with the bottom box.

 

[Sutty]

Yes, I agree, and that's what I did last week, as you described earlier, except that I had no SQC:
Put one or two combs with eggs & young brood and one sealed QC in a new box and fill with a couple of frames of stores & drawn comb or foundation, put on the original floor. Add a double mesh or solid board with an entrance above. Brood box goes next taking down all the queen cells. Then QE and any supers.
All the flying bees should return to the lower box and keep the QC warm to develop. Top box now has no flying bees, no QCs, but may have a Q.
If the top box has no Q they should make EQCs, if they don't they are probably Q+. Look in 3-4 days.
If no EQCs in top box you could then move them away as a split, if there are you can take them down and reunite with the bottom box.

Yes, I suggested leavinga QC in the bottom box, because if the top box turns out to be queenless then you still end up with a queenright colony.

 

[ericbeaumont]

leavinga QC in the bottom box

The slight advantage of removing all QCs in both splits is that subsequent QCs made from BIAS can be dated more accurately. Must admit that if I see good SQCs I can't resist using them, and guess the date of emergence.

 

[Sutty]

The slight advantage of removing all QCs in both splits is that subsequent QCs made from BIAS can be dated more accurately. Must admit that if I see good SQCs I can't resist using them, and guessing the date of emergence.

Yes assuming eggs/v young larvae. Not so good if it turns out the Q has gone and only older larvae left, poor or no Q possible. Some doubt re the OP's situation.

 

[Floyd]

Here's an update of how things have progresses.

We have had a couple of nice days here in Fife, so have managed today to have a good look in both hives.

Hive 2 which the recommended vertical split was performed on has shown emergency cells in both brood boxes, so I have re-untied them on double brood, ready to be re-queened on Thursday with one of Lawrences Buckfast queens.

Hive 1 which was very healthy last inspection and showing no signs of swarming had a single capped queen cell, and no sign of the queen (had even brought a pen to mark her!)

I have made the decision to re-queen this hive also as both queens were from swarms last year, and must have some sort of swarming propensity, as both hives had ample space and stores, just need to contact Lawrence to hopefully piggyback on my Thursday delivery.

Will take a split of off hive 2 later in the year.

Based on my experience up here in the cold wet East of Scotland, you guys down south are going to be rather busy, hope you have enough spares.

Thank you all so much for the help and the wealth of knowledge that you have shared with me and I really appreciate the time taken to reply. As such I am now going to be an annual contributing forum member going forward.

Happy beekeeping!

Lee