Do I need to do an AS?

[Juststarting]

Okay, have read lots of threads and know that the answers are all there if I look for them, but I want to check that I have got this right.

So please could you confirm that I need to do an AS - I am a newbie, I have second empty hive, but I want to keep it simple.

Background
I bought a lovely 5 frame nat nuc end of may (thanks WPC) and have transfered to national polyhive. (buckfast f2 2009 queen)

Bees have expanded to 9 frames brood (only 8 last week) and one stores (bruised stores today to encourage moving to super and give more room in BB). Queen not seen but eggs and hive increasingly full of bees.

They have 1 super - 2 frames drawn and full, 4 drwn and filling, 2 drawn but not filling, 2 undrawn (rearranged today to encourage drawing outside frames) was considering putting on second tomorrow.

I had planned to keep this hive as strong as poss over winter and split next year probably requeening at least one part with Buckfast queen and moving to either brood and half or double brood.

BUT on inspection today
Found 1 playcup with royal jelly and larva - which I removed.

So presume they are considering swarming and that I need to do an AS.

PLAN
1. Set up new hive near original
2. Find queen in original hive and move with 2 frames brood - capped and uncapped with bees and frame stores -if they havent moved it all to supers, and put in new hive.
3. Add 2 frames foundation and dummy board
4. Shake in bees from 1-2? more frames.
5. remove all qc from original hive (only empty play cups left at moment)
6. add 2 frames foundation to replace removed frames.
7. leave alone for 7? days remove all but one qc then leave alone for 3 weeks and hope new queen raised and mated
8. monitor new hive as if new nuc adding foundation as required.(feed if poor weather?)
9. Keep two hives or reunite depending on strength and outcome of queen raising.

Is this correct?

Is there a simpler option I can take which keeps original hive doing well?

Hope I've included all the info you need to advise.
All advice welcomed and I don't mind bold type or big fonts!

 

[beesrus]

PLAN
1. Set up new hive near original
2. Find queen in original hive and move with 2 frames brood - capped and uncapped with bees and frame stores -if they havent moved it all to supers, and put in new hive.
3. Add 2 frames foundation and dummy board
4. Shake in bees from 1-2? more frames.
5. remove all qc from original hive (only empty play cups left at moment)
6. add 2 frames foundation to replace removed frames.
7. leave alone for 7? days remove all but one qc then leave alone for 3 weeks and hope new queen raised and mated
8. monitor new hive as if new nuc adding foundation as required.(feed if poor weather?)
9. Keep two hives or reunite depending on strength and outcome of queen raising.

Is this correct?

As far as i can see that's bang on except making 100% sure there are no Queen cups or cells on the Brood frames you transfer you must brush, shake, tickle or coarse all the bees off the brood frames to make absolutely sure. I didn't do this in June and lost a swarm as a result.

Ted Hooper has an illustration of this procedure in his book, i would recommend you follow that as it has some other steps in this process to ensure the flying bees get back into the original hive and that will ensure you retain a strong colony once recombined.

Good luck

Beesrus

 

[grizzly]

Make sure the queen goes back on the original spot, no brood or eggs, do not shake any bees in, on the original spot she will be joined by all the foragers and they can start again.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Okay, have read lots of threads and know that the answers are all there if I look for them, but I want to check that I have got this right.

So please could you confirm that I need to do an AS - I am a newbie, I have second empty hive, but I want to keep it simple.

Background
I bought a lovely 5 frame nat nuc end of may (thanks WPC) and have transfered to national polyhive. (buckfast f2 2009 queen)

Bees have expanded to 9 frames brood (only 8 last week) and one stores (bruised stores today to encourage moving to super and give more room in BB). Queen not seen but eggs and hive increasingly full of bees.

They have 1 super - 2 frames drawn and full, 4 drwn and filling, 2 drawn but not filling, 2 undrawn (rearranged today to encourage drawing outside frames) was considering putting on second tomorrow.

I had planned to keep this hive as strong as poss over winter and split next year probably requeening at least one part with Buckfast queen and moving to either brood and half or double brood.

BUT on inspection today
Found 1 playcup with royal jelly and larva - which I removed.

So presume they are considering swarming and that I need to do an AS.

PLAN
1. Set up new hive near original
2. Find queen in original hive and move with 2 frames brood - capped and uncapped with bees and frame stores -if they havent moved it all to supers, and put in new hive.
3. Add 2 frames foundation and dummy board
4. Shake in bees from 1-2? more frames.
5. remove all qc from original hive (only empty play cups left at moment)
6. add 2 frames foundation to replace removed frames.
7. leave alone for 7? days remove all but one qc then leave alone for 3 weeks and hope new queen raised and mated
8. monitor new hive as if new nuc adding foundation as required.(feed if poor weather?)
9. Keep two hives or reunite depending on strength and outcome of queen raising.

Is this correct?

Is there a simpler option I can take which keeps original hive doing well?

Hope I've included all the info you need to advise.
All advice welcomed and I don't mind bold type or big fonts!

Look up the 'Demaree' method of A/S.

The post-manipulation arrangement will look like this from the top:

Roof
Crown board
Upper brood box (with all bar one frame of brood/foundation)
Super
QX
Lower brood box (with frame of brood + Queen, fresh frames of foundation)
Floor


After 7-9 days remove any emergency QCs that you find in the upper brood box and then after 21 days rotate the brood boxes unless re-combining to overwinter double brood.