Does my colony need re-queening??

[The Riviera Kid]

Also the wax looks very dark and old on the first 2 pics, possibley backing up the AFB theory? Did you get these frames second-hand as drawn out?

I think before adding a new queen you need to get things checked out.

The frames were new and are just over a year old. the wax is very dark. I don't know why. the seasonal bee inspector came to see the bees today as I was at a loss as to what was going on and he said that there is no brood disease (no AFB nor EFB) but he found a few bees with varroa but no mites in the brood nor on the varroa floor.

He said I need to get a new queen in ASAP and then treat for varroa...


Cheers to all for your help.

 

[kazmcc]

I'm glad there seems to be no disease. I assume you would have to destroy the colony if there was disease, so at least the teens can be saved I hope this sorts your problems out......let me know how they get on.

 

[susbees]

Good news then . Hope you can get the colony back on track soon.

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Hmm, not sure that this is cause for joviality: one for the bee inspector...call yours tomorrow please. If it is brood disease it's really unfair on all the other beekeepers in your area!

yes I agree. In the end I got the inspector out. I may not be the best bee keeper (yet) but that's due to inexperience more than anything.

However, responsible bee keeping can be done by everyone and I try my best.

I am just off to collect the new queen now!!

 

[steve1958]

Excellant. Hope all goes well

 

[The Riviera Kid]

I'm not long back now from the colony and I wouldn't say it went "well". I was taking off a super as well... the porter escapes had done their bit but there were a few persistent stragglers and then it started to rain and it was so damp that the fondant in the end of the cage went all gloopy and began to stick to everything... I think I might have put too much on the cage as well...

Why oh why didn't I stick to oil painting as a hobby??

Drop dead tired. Good night world.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Don't wory about the fondant,bee's will clear that in no time at all.

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Don't wory about the fondant,bee's will clear that in no time at all.

I hope so!! I just want to see eggs in there now... and then it will all seem like it was worth it!!

 

[jimbeekeeper]

yes I agree. In the end I got the inspector out. I may not be the best bee keeper (yet) but that's due to inexperience more than anything.

However, responsible bee keeping can be done by everyone and I try my best.

I am just off to collect the new queen now!!

Yes very responsible beekeeping. well done, and glad things are OK

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Yes very responsible beekeeping. well done, and glad things are OK

I hope they're ok... keeping everything crossed until I see eggs in there!!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

I went to see the new queen today... just to make sure that she was out.

the cage was empty but the bees were in a really bad mood again... like they are still not queenright. I was expecting them to be calmer now that (hopefully) there is a queen in there.

I didn't even go through the brood box. just lifted the crown board, took out the empty cage and closed it up and they were buzzing at my face, following me back to the car...

I have a really bad feeling...

 

[kazmcc]

Any eggs Riviera? What's new?

 

[burren]

Hi Riviera,
Have you gone back since 17th and had a good look?

 

[The Riviera Kid]

i went back on Saturday to remove the cage but on the advice of the guy who supplied me with the queen I am leaving them to it for a few days. I will go and see them at the end of the week.

sadly when i removed the cage they were in a foul mood. Just like they were before I put the queen in. I would have thought that they would have accepted her by then if they were going to accept her at all and I fear the worst that they have killed her. she was mated so i don't think she would have flown.

i went to see my other (queen right) colony tonight it was nearly 8 pm and all the bees were in. Yet I took off the lid and super with barely a buzz and no smoke. Put a bit of smoke in when I took a brood frame out but that was it. it made me realise how aggressive the other colony has really become.

 

[The Riviera Kid]

I don't know if I dare dare believe that she has settled and that they have accepted her...

I went to the colony today and opened it up...

and this is what I found...

see attached pics.

the larger one is of the frame... and the smaller one of a small section of it. I think that there are eggs there or am I just seeing what I want to see???

There seem to be more than before... I will go back in a few days by which time they should have been sealed...

One thing puzzles me.. the bees were VERY aggressive dunno why... it was hardly poor weather (though not sunny). there isn't much for them to do (not much flow on now) but they were going mental at me. I'd barely got the top off and they were out and at me. One even got in my suit and stung my ear there is no stormy weather either...

Any thoughts on photos and aggression???

 

[kazmcc]

I am sure I can see some eggs in there. Hope the ear is ok, sorry to hear about that

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Yes, I felt sure I could see eggs last night... but not so confident now...

I'm going to go see them again tomorrow and take my better camera with a super macro instead.

I think I might try the egg test to see if there really is a queen in there or not.

the evidence is so contradictory. There are have been eggs and a little bit of brood for some time but not as much as their should be. It can't be laying worker because there appears to be worker brood in there. but if there *is* a queen in there why are they aggressive??

 

[Tom Bick]

Looking at the photos I will bet on my house you have eggs

 

[Cazza]

Hi RK
They certainly look like eggs.
You might be better off leaving them alone for a few days, it seems like you've opened up the hive a lot recently. If I was in there I'd be p***** off by now and thinking "oh no not again, that big white thing keeps lifting off our roof, right time for revenge..."
Cazza

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Looking at the photos I will bet on my house you have eggs

I'm glad that someone else can see them too and it's not just me deluding myself!!

I just hope that it's the new queen that is laying them!!!

Hi RK
They certainly look like eggs.
You might be better off leaving them alone for a few days, it seems like you've opened up the hive a lot recently. If I was in there I'd be p***** off by now and thinking "oh no not again, that big white thing keeps lifting off our roof, right time for revenge..."
Cazza

You're right Cazza They have been messed about a bit. I have taken honey off and they've had the bee inspector poking at them - they haven't been opened for a week now and it's this aggression thing that bothers me.

They used to be so tranquil. I could lift supers off with barely a stir before. now i'm lucky if I get the top off before there are 100s of them out and at me