I have a plan - but do you agree?

[keithgrimes]

I apologise beforehand for the long winded post, but I know that the experts here like as much detail as possible. I did my first inspection today on a colony I bought as a nuc in August last year. Fed with syrup for a winter build up and apiguarded. Oxalic acid in Jan and fondant, of which they have taken about 2 kilos. Fed a quart of 1:1 syrup two weeks ago which they have taken. This is what I found today. Five frames of busy bees, many carrying pollen. Four frames with stores and brood in all stages, no queen cells. BUT, at the end of the BB, two frames completely (and I mean completely) full of capped honey, both sides, all cells, top to bottom. At the other end of the BB, two 'unused' fames. On with only a quarter drawn comb, the other with no drawn comb at all.
This is my plan -
Bruise some of the capped honey
stop feeding
introduce a frame of drawn comb.
What does everyone think please?
Its a standard National BB, OMF.

 

[VEG]

What are you trying to do?
Are you trying to make more room for the queen to lay in?

 

[keithgrimes]

yes I'm trying to make more room and give them cells to lay in. I thought that introducing drawn comb and encouraging them to take some stored honey would help, no? I've NEVER seen two full frames of honey in a BB like that.

 

[VEG]

Stores like that in most of my hives. If they have 4 frames of brood then they will probably fill the drawn comb with nectar. Try moving the undrawn frames inwards.

 

[Tom Bick]

Perhaps the side with part and un-drawn frames is north facing.

Yes stop feeding obviously they don’t need it.

Bruise some of the frames will help

Try swapping the frames of honey over with the two part and un-drawn frames.

 

[keithgrimes]

Thats what I don't understand, the undrawn frames are right next to the highest density of bees. The poorly drawn frames are SE facing but I'll try the swap, cheers.

 

[Finman]

.
Important information: 5 frames occupied, of which 4 have brood.

Problem is that colony is small and it cannot more before it get more new bees.

What you can do is to restrict the bee space with movable wall.
Close mesh floor and keep 1 x 3 cm entrance. Keep the hive warm.

The colony needs one full frame of food, two empty drawn combs and the brood frames.

DONT PUT ANY FRAMES BETWEEN BROOD FRAMES.

Bees get from nature what they need to inspire colony growth.
Be patient and wait that the colony grows.

Frame order
wall , few food or empty drawn comb
4 brood
1 capped food
empty drawn comb.
Extra wall

 

[Poly Hive]

Never heard of stale foundation?

They are rejecting it.

I have nucs drawing foundation no bother.

Bruise your two combs of stores both sides and put one on each side of your brood.

Use the foundation from the other frames are fire lighters and replace with fresh.

Watch them grow.

PH

 

[Midland Beek]

I wouldn't say you got a strong colony there. But you are further north than a lot of people on this forum.

Feeding was probably a good idea, but now there is perhaps a case for not feeding at all.

As for the unoccupied combs/empty combs, well, I just would not be surprised that they are there. I would suggest that the colony has not taken possession of them because they haven't the strength yet.

If it were me I would probably do nowt.

 

[Finman]

.
About your summer weather in Northumberland: minimum temp 2C and max 10C. Showers and clowdy next 6 days.

Do nothing is a good alternative too. Just wait.

Warm is the most important thing to the build up.

If you have a second big hive ( you have 2) and it has over one box full of bees, give a frame of emerging bees to that nuc.

 

[BBK]

Never heard of stale foundation?

They are rejecting it.

I've heard that you can "refresh" stale foundation by warming it up with a hair dryer. Does anyone know if this works? At what point is foundation considered to be stale - can you tell easily before including it in a frame?

 

[Poly Hive]

The staleness I refer to is not storage staleness which the hiar dryer can cure it is foundation which has been "varnished" by the bees iwth propolis and I know of no cure for that. Which does not mean that one does not exist of course.

Personally I would use it to light the next bonfire and replace with new.

PH

 

[BBK]

Ah - I see. Thank goodness as I have a stack of foundation in the garage that I was hoping to give a blast with the hairdryer before making up my supers this year. Was a bit over ambitious last season and bought too much!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hairdryer on low setting and played fairly closely over the foundation. Watch it change from white speckles to golden yellow

 

[Finman]

.
I have never refreshed foundations. They may be 5 years old sometimes.

Bees draw foundations when they need them. They do not draw them "for future needs".

In this case colony is so small that I would give a drawn comb.

In summer I use 3 frames in mating nuc, 1 food , 1 drawn and 1 foundation.
Foundations duty is connsume nectar because nuc tends to forage too much.
Ofcourse all colonies draw new combs. That is not a point.

 

[keithgrimes]

Thanks everybody - food for thought as always