I'm pretty confused... I think?!

[Clemcook]

Soo..

One of my hives failed after winter and there were few beers left in it so I left them alone while I decided what I was going to do about things and that was about 3 to 4 weeks ago, anyway I went down today to look at my other hive and thought I would have a little look in the failed one, and there appears to be on two frames with a very small cluster of Brood on each and what looks like two supercedure cells??

So I'm wondering whether a rogue swarm came in? But there are only a small number of bees??

Anyway I'm not too sure what to do about the situation I wanted a second hive but I don't know whether a queen produced with this one would be a very good quality? I'm not too sure whether to destroy one of the cells and give them some more brood from my thriving colony, or what to be honest I'm quite surprised ��

Many thanks
Clem

 

[enrico]

The beers probably didn't help......damn spellcheck....
It might be worth putting them in a nuc and shaking a few beers in to see what happens.
Don't edit your post or everyone will think I am mad.....
E

 

[Clemcook]

Haha!

I've got a bit of a dilemma though I want to split my other hive and produce a queen from that one because the blood line of the one I have is so good, how do you think this situation happened?

Thanks

 

[Clemcook]

The beers probably didn't help......damn spellcheck....
It might be worth putting them in a nuc and shaking a few beers in to see what happens.
Don't edit your post or everyone will think I am mad.....
E

Best to destroy one of f the supercedure cells?

 

[enrico]

I would do a proper split and just add the few bees in the hive into the melting pot. Use what you know is good and not take the chance. However I would open one of the two cells that are there to see what is in it.

 

[Clemcook]

Thank you, so the dead hive that miraculously has brood do you think a small swarm moved in? Thanks

 

[enrico]

It depends how dead it was when you stopped looking in it. If there were no bees then it must have been a small cast. But maybe there were a few eggs and a few workers when you thought it was dead. I am guessing!
E

 

[Clemcook]

There were a few bees but no eggs or large that I could see, nice to think it could be the original hive, thank you for your help

 

[MerryBee]

I suggest you should be marking your queens. Then you would know for sure what you were dealing with. It also makes things much easier when you need to do swarm control. Trying to find an unmarked queen in a big colony is not at all easy, especially for a beginner in panic mode.

 

[mickbees23]

It really sounds like there must be a queen in the small colony some where. Don't unite that colony to another until you know for sure as the brood must have come from some where mustn't it ?

Small colonies can drag on for ever after winter and not expand, its best to find that queen and remove her, then unite or give them a queen cell or eggs as well as food to get them through.

Good luck, Cheers, Mick.