Bucks_Boy
House Bee
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2008
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 12
I have a small but welcome problem with one of my hives.
I had to Artificially Swarm a strong hive about a month ago but the queen didnt like the idea so ended up taking her off in a small nuc and combining the bulk of the bees in the original hive -- at the time it was Double Brood + I had just put the second super on as the first was fully drawn and about 7 frames of uncapped stores.
3.5 weeks later ( last weekend ) when I hoped to see a few eggs / brood and to take off the second brood box, hopefully empty, I found the whole thing from top to bottom full of uncapped stores ( well about 5 % capped in the corners of the top box) - if there was a mated queen in there, she would not have anywhere to lay.
I added a brood box with some drawn comb, a test frame and some foundation at the bottom and smoked, persuaded, gently shaken the bees into that box then added a super of foundation above the QX before putting all the rest of the boxes above that, just to give some room and something to do on rainy days.
I need to check the test frame this weekend ( I have a newly mated queen to put in if needed ) but I'm rapidly running out of woodwork and will need a stepladder soon ( 3 brood boxes + 3 supers already) - does anyone have any suggestions on how I might persuade them to cap some of these stores so I can take them off or do I just have to let nature take it's course ?
I had to Artificially Swarm a strong hive about a month ago but the queen didnt like the idea so ended up taking her off in a small nuc and combining the bulk of the bees in the original hive -- at the time it was Double Brood + I had just put the second super on as the first was fully drawn and about 7 frames of uncapped stores.
3.5 weeks later ( last weekend ) when I hoped to see a few eggs / brood and to take off the second brood box, hopefully empty, I found the whole thing from top to bottom full of uncapped stores ( well about 5 % capped in the corners of the top box) - if there was a mated queen in there, she would not have anywhere to lay.
I added a brood box with some drawn comb, a test frame and some foundation at the bottom and smoked, persuaded, gently shaken the bees into that box then added a super of foundation above the QX before putting all the rest of the boxes above that, just to give some room and something to do on rainy days.
I need to check the test frame this weekend ( I have a newly mated queen to put in if needed ) but I'm rapidly running out of woodwork and will need a stepladder soon ( 3 brood boxes + 3 supers already) - does anyone have any suggestions on how I might persuade them to cap some of these stores so I can take them off or do I just have to let nature take it's course ?
