Drawing comb

[KatieC]

Hi all,
I have my very first hive and on Sunday I got a swarm. I have been tonight to move my queen excluder from under the brood box to on top.
The bees all look okay but they haven't started drawing any comb at all yet. There is a feeder on the hive and it still has plenty of feed in it (and lots of bees too)
Am I just being impatient? It has been pretty rubbish weather here this week, but I did think they would have started doing something after 4 days

Any ideas please?

 

[MeatheadSnowman]

I am only in my 2nd year but my 2nd hive were the same. They were like the stereotype Spanish builders! Throughput the whole summer they only drew barely 3 frames in the brood box and 5/6 frames in the super (i use national brood and a half). Just chill out. Give the bees the opportunity to expand and when they need to they will!
I asked exactly the same question with my 2nd hive!!

 

[KatieC]

Thanks so much-I'm just impatient aren't I!! Have your second hive improved or if they are slow now will they always be slow?

 

[Cb50]

Thanks so much-I'm just impatient aren't I!! Have your second hive improved or if they are slow now will they always be slow?

I was in the same situation early may. I left mine for two weeks before peeking, probably should have been longer but being new we cannot help ourselves. I only fed mine on days when it was raining and cold. To be honest I had as many people saying feed and not. They were out and very busy so did not feed them much, and when I did they took very little down.

After two weeks the frames were well drawn and. There were eggs, pollen and some stores. A month after day one there were brood in all stages and stores and all frames were full so I added a super which was quiet until recently when there is loads of activity up there (just peeked through crown board not opened yet).

I plan to have a look in this weekend weather dependant.

I am no expert but hope that helps as a beginner as well.

CB

 

[Finman]

Hi all,
I have my very first hive and on Sunday I got a swarm. I have been tonight to move my queen excluder from under the brood box to on top.
The bees all look okay but they haven't started drawing any comb at all yet. There is a feeder on the hive and it still has plenty of feed in it (and lots of bees too)
Am I just being impatient? It has been pretty rubbish weather here this week, but I did think they would have started doing something after 4 days

Any ideas please?

First is that hive does not need excluder.
Is it sure that hive has the queen?

 

[MeatheadSnowman]

I was the same. I used to sit tapping my fingers waiting to go and inspect. What i have learnt is to adopt the mantras "think like a bee" and "what would they do in nature?"

Remember, an inspection can be quite stressful for the bees. So try to use as little smoke as possible and maybe even consider only opening up every 10-14 days.

Mine did get better to the point that from mid march to May this year they drew out and filled 3 supers with capped honey! Almost 50 odd lbs!!

If i went back to last year i would tell myself to relax and give the bees time. They've been around for a billion years. They know how to do it! (hindsight is a wonderful thing huh!!!)

Oh and one last thing, if you have a lot of local flora and fauna take out the feeder. When i did this they definitely became more productive. May be because if they have to make an effort to find it they'll make more of an effort to store it!! Just a theory!!!

 

[KatieC]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will wait and see.
I don't know for sure that there's a queen as I only got them on Sunday but they were a swarm so I assume there is one?

 

[drex]

How much space is there in the hive. You say "to put qe on top", so is it BB and super? Possibly too few bees and too much room to heat. Dummy down. Insulation on top.

 

[Heather]

Biggest problem for bees... impatient bee keepers.. Give them a chance to acclimatise to new area, etc. Am sure they will organise soon.

 

[oliver90owner]

Prime or cast?

She would be laying by now if a prime, so I expect, with no wax drawn, this may be a small (even tiny) cast?

So, as Drex, close down the available space to a minimum, so they can keep warm. Ie. dummy down, preferably with divider(s), and apply insulation above (around feeder).

Q/E should have been removed much earlier to allow mating flights, but if weather has not been conducive it may not matter.

Casts are notoriously fickle and they may abscond, even now.

 

[Teemore]

Hi KatieC,
If you can estimate the size of the swarm for us? It will help us give advice. When the swarm was put into your hive, do you recall how many frames it covered? Were they in a cluster the size of an A5 page? an A4 page?
Did you get the swarm via another beekeeper or did you collect it yourself? The more background information you give, the easier it will be for forum members to help you (or possibly even confuse you!! )

 

[drstitson]

"Throughput the whole summer they only drew barely 3 frames in the brood box and 5/6 frames in the super (i use national brood and a half)"

as per the above - the super obviously not needed AND hampering the colony development. sounds like a nuc size not a full colony.