Feeling pretty down today......

[Belley]

I did my first full inspection yesterday. Plenty of activity, plenty of brood and queen looked busy.

Then to my horror I noticed a squished bee, which on first inspection looked like the queen. I then spent time trying to find her again on the frames, but no joy. So it looks like she's gone, and I can't stop thinking what a idiot I am having got the colony through the winter, bought a second poly hive in prep for doing an artificial swarm and really excited by the new season ahead.

Any help or advice about what I should do? How do you spot drone brood?

 

[Hivemaker.]

I doubt it was the queen, check again in a few days time for eggs.

 

[isc26]

Bummer! We all do something wrong at some stage, the trick is how to correct it.

Don't panic, as above check in a week for fresh eggs larvae or sight of Queen. If not look for any emergency queen cells being built. If so then can let that process continue and hope for early mating, I've certainly got drone brood in several hives further North than you this year. Or start looking for a new queen to buy.

 

[Tom Bick]

The same as HM just go back and check for eggs later in the week.

 

[Heather]

Doubt the queen..she usually buries herself mid frames, midbees ,when hive opened. never really exposes herself to light... BUT if it was they will build an emergency cell which looks like small pendulous wax thimble.
Look for eggs in 3 days.
Drone cells are larger and slightly extended from the frame front. usually in groups at the base of the frame.
I always stick a super frame in middle of the brood frames to encourage development of drone brood.
Relax....

 

[oliver90owner]

As Hivemaker and then buy in, or otherwise obtain (legally, of course), a laying queen if the result is no eggs or emergency queen cells (the more obvious sign).

Unless you are, or have, a very good weather forecaster and have a strong colony, or don't want/need a decent honey crop (a possible nine or ten week gap before any decent number of forager bees are available from any eggs laid by a new queen raised from emergency cells). Add to that the possibility of a DLQ at the end of the process or a scrubby queen that gets superceded early on, and you can more fully understand the risks you would be taking of just leaving emergency cells to develop a new queen at this time of the season.

RAB

 

[BILL.HEARD]

What is the point in pulling apart brood nests at this time, its only the 3rd week of March and today it cold and blowing a gale down here, you are doing more harm than good.

 

[MartinL]

What is the point in pulling apart brood nests at this time, its only the 3rd week of March and today it cold and blowing a gale down here, you are doing more harm than good.

However, listening to all those who have been opening their hives, the temptation to have a naughty peek is growing.

I'm off to strim the grass around the hives in a couple of hours, that's sure to p!$$ them off without poking around inside the boxes.
Not sure about bothering with full suit & gloves, perhaps just Jacket or Veil only?

 

[Alabamaeee]

I wouldn't attempt to strim around my hives unless fully suited, but it's impossible to tell how they react, maybe your bees don't mind the noise and vibration from the strummer.

As it's not too warm i'd take no chances and don the full suit

 

[MartinL]

I wouldn't attempt to strim around my hives unless fully suited, . . . . . . . . i'd take no chances and don the full suit

Got away with it last year,

but it's been a couple of month since I last did it!?

 

[rosco]

I mowed the lawn around the hives on Saturday in a full suit which attracted a few funny looks from the neighbours but the bees didn't seem phased at all. They just flew right past me when both leaving and entering the hives. Maybe in the height of summer or if there is something else upsetting the bees they will react differently though, so I think I will keep wearing it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Dishmop]

For the last week the temperatue here has been good enough for operation quick peek but its been spoiled by the wind.

Today. Bright sun, no wind.......................10 c

 

[oliver90owner]

What is the point in pulling apart brood nests at this time

Most should know that, but many still pull them apart.

In this case, the deed was done and presumably the new beek panicked and went searching for the queen.

Bad news, I agree, but they often act without thinking clearly of the correct course of action.

Clearly the better course would have simply to have closed up after removing the body.

Two simple routes available for the thinking beek - 1) listen for the bees' reaction, after just a few minutes, if then queenless and 2) peeping in after about three days, when warm enough, to check for queen cells or eggs.

RAB

 

[Chris B]

Agree, too early to do full inspection unless there is a pressing need.
You can generally see far enough down the brood frames to see whether they have sealed brood, which is good enough for me at present - a bit of smoke to clear a few bees away might help. Obviously you would need to remove the crownboard for this quick healthcheck.

Belley, how strong is your colony? If you've lost the queen, perhaps a chance to turn it into a positive by buying 2 new queens and splitting the colony - you would need at least 6 frames of brood to consider this option I reckon but lots of colonies are this strong at present.

 

[Rob55]

How easy are queens to buy at this time of year?

 

[Chris B]

How easy are queens to buy at this time of year?

Not as easy as later on in the season, but just about possible. Depends if he knows any clever dick living nearby who managed to get 80 new queens through the winter in mini-hives.

 

[mbc]

Not as easy as later on in the season, but just about possible. Depends if he knows any clever dick living nearby who managed to get 80 new queens through the winter in mini-hives.

Might one be talking about oneself Chris?
Well done! What sort of mini hive? I've got quite a few through in mini plus hives, but nowhere near 80

 

[Cazza]

I did my first full inspection yesterday. Plenty of activity, plenty of brood and queen looked busy.



Any help or advice about what I should do? How do you spot drone brood?

Must have been considerably warmer in your area than here (9c). Far too cold for beepoking in Suffolk.

Drone brood is larger and more domed than worker brood but if Q- you won't see it for a while, if laying workers emerge. Better, as has already been said, to wait for days and check for eggs.
It would be very unlucky and unlikely the queen has been squashed.
Cazza

 

[Chris B]

Might one be talking about oneself Chris?
Well done! What sort of mini hive? I've got quite a few through in mini plus hives, but nowhere near 80

Yes the same I think or similar. It's a square German hive that takes 6 frames, equivalent to about 3 Dadant shallow. 80 out of 83 survival was a good result - I was most worried about starvation as little room for stores but they were fine.

 

[HM Honey]

Its so difficult to resist looking in when coming out of your first winter... I know, coz I did it myself after my first winter.

You will probably find that you just missed the queen in your panic during the 2nd look through. If you had squished her, it would more often than not happen in the middle of the frame when you are putting them back and she would have fallen to the bottom of the hive or be stuck between frames. You wouldn't normally see a squished queen at the top of the hive.

Check in a few days for queen cells or eggs (when its warm) and then learn from this error. We've all made them and even the most experienced still do so don't beat yourself up.