SwiftOtter
New Bee
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Cambridge
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 2
We did our first Artificial Swarm yesterday evening and it all seemed to go well but now I am concerned that we did not do it correctly:
1: We added an extra frame of brood to the new brood box containing the old queen plus the frame she was on (which had stores and some brood) as well as two frames of drawn comb and seven frames of foundation. I'm sure there were no Queen cells we checked thoroughly. However I think we should have left the 'extra' frame of brood in the original box. Most of the forager bees will end up in the new box with the old queen, and the new nurse bees that are emerging will be required for the new colony. There are about six frames of brood in the old box so maybe they will be OK anyway. Should I just leave it now or move it back?
2: There were five unsealed queen cells and one sealed queen cell in the old brood box. I initially thought that we should destroy the sealed one but we chose not to. However I have now read that we should have done. Should I go back in and destroy it now?
Thanks a lot for any assistance...
1: We added an extra frame of brood to the new brood box containing the old queen plus the frame she was on (which had stores and some brood) as well as two frames of drawn comb and seven frames of foundation. I'm sure there were no Queen cells we checked thoroughly. However I think we should have left the 'extra' frame of brood in the original box. Most of the forager bees will end up in the new box with the old queen, and the new nurse bees that are emerging will be required for the new colony. There are about six frames of brood in the old box so maybe they will be OK anyway. Should I just leave it now or move it back?
2: There were five unsealed queen cells and one sealed queen cell in the old brood box. I initially thought that we should destroy the sealed one but we chose not to. However I have now read that we should have done. Should I go back in and destroy it now?
Thanks a lot for any assistance...