I have a Queen!

[margob99]

Just wanted to let everyone know, after the swarm and cast in mid-May, and thereafter what appeared to be a Queenless, extremely grumpy hive, I've had 3 very stressful inspections and found no trace of a Queen. Today was D-Day for me - to check Hive 1 and, if no Queen, then merge with Hive 2 (the bunch that swarmed).

I went in to Hive 1 and immediately found LOTS of neat consistently laid brood - larvae and capped brood; couldn't make out any eggs, but that might just've been me. Couldn't find the Queen, but that's alright. I know she's in there now.

Phew!

Bees are still tetchy, but not half as grumpy as they were last time!

That said, as a new beekeeper, I am finding a National brood-and-a-half structure really painful to work with. Smoothly and quickly inspecting twice as many frames as I trained on is no easy task. I do not like this brood-and-a-half structure, and am seriously thinking of taking the costly step of changing over to 14 x 12 ...

 

[steve_e]

It's a good feeling isn't it - like being a new parent. I just had two hives with virgin queens suddenly reveal new eggs in their brood boxes. A great mixtrue of relief and pride ensued...

 

[MuswellMetro]

I do not like this brood-and-a-half structure, and am seriously thinking of taking the costly step of changing over to 14 x 12 ...

congrats to the new parent

14x12....new frames £17, foundation £10, eke £20 or less if you use a simple 19mmx87mm 460mm square frame made of skip wood

you could extend your BS frames with a kit and breed out the brood in the supers, but i suugest you do a shook swarm onto new 14x12 foundation in brrood plus eke, then breed out the brood and a half by putting it into three supers above the QX until it hatches, then dump the stores above the crown board bruised

 

[Poly Hive]

Patience is the main beekeeping tool and as I have said before and say again it is RARE for a colony to be truly queenless. Which is where the test frame comes in handy and also the advice to have two colonies so that one can provide the said test frame.

PH

 

[Heather]

And I do recommend specs! If you wear them for reading only- get a cheap stronger pair for seeing those eggs. Saves a lot of worry to some people