Inspection due; is it too cold?

[Jaytee]

On inspection last Friday I found 6 queen cups spread throughout BB; I have brood on 9 frames, 1 full super almost completely capped and the 2nd super is half full but uncapped when I last looked. Inspection is due this weekend to prevent queen cells being drawn but the weather forecast for Kent is max temp of 11 degrees. I got my bees as a package in July last year so this is my first year of coping with possible swarming. My question is should I inspect at the weekend or not. I am keen to make another colony from my hive this year so want to catch them before they swarm. What would you do? Thanks for all answers.

 

[drstitson]

"Inspection is due this weekend to prevent queen cells being drawn"

inspection won't prevent queen cells and swarming.

you have to have a plan in place for either pre-emptive swarm control or active management of impending swarming.

sounds like they need a second brood box. add it below the other (as finman suggests). could easily do this in poor conditions -
lift box and look for swarm cells on bottoms of frames. if present - you'll need to do some sort of AS. if not - transfer brood box off of floor, add new box with foundation, transfer box back.

 

[Jaytee]

Thanks for answer, sorry not very well explained.Yes I have a 2nd hive set up and ready to do an artificial swarm as soon as queen cells present. Last Friday there were queen cups but they were empty, do I need to check if the queen has laid in them since then? From what I understand once you see queen cups you need to check every 9 days without fail.

J

 

[Poly Hive]

What precisely do you mean by queen cups?

Cups are perfectly normal and are not an indicator of swarming UNLESS they contain a GRUB. You can discount eggs as the bees usually move them elsewhere.

PH

 

[enrico]

To help you, queen cups are like little acorn cups. They are nowhere near being a full queen cell and you will get them all the time. Think of them as play cups, they are just playing at it with no real intent! Ignore them. BUT if you get a queen cell which is uncapped and you can see either eggs, white fluid or grubs inside then you are on the way to a swarm or supersedure and need to take some action. Make a decision what you are going to do and stick to it. Hope this is helpful. Sorry if you knew all this anyway!
E

 

[susbees]

Not up on Kent forage in Spring...what's in the super?

 

[Winker]

Not up on Kent forage in Spring...what's in the super?

I am on my second super too, i cant be sure whats they filled with but i think its willow. During our 12 day heat wave my bees were working the near by willow trees. The first super is not capped yet (or wasnt last time i looked) but the honey did not drip out when i gave 5-6 frames the shake test.

 

[Jaytee]

Super is full of all stores they've collected so far this year. It was under the BB and full for the winter but empty without brood when I moved it up in the spring; I've not had to feed them at all. The colony came through the winter very well and has increased quickly. The weather has been very warm and sunny for some weeks now with the bees flying in large numbers, I even have apple trees in my garden with open blossom on them.
I have heard of play cups but as this is my first full year I wasn't too sure if this meant they might be preparing to swarm.

Thanks for all replies,

 

[Poly Hive]

I rather think a good book may be an asset to you as it would have pictures of what you have seen, plus the explanation, and would have saved you some worrying.

PH

 

[susbees]

I am on my second super too, i cant be sure whats they filled with but i think its willow. During our 12 day heat wave my bees were working the near by willow trees. The first super is not capped yet (or wasnt last time i looked) but the honey did not drip out when i gave 5-6 frames the shake test.

Interesting: we have hundreds of willow trees and the bees were collecting nectar as well as pollen but now all the catkins are lying in the snow. Enough to keep up with brooding and a bit spare I hope. Cherry and damson blossom all sat on the trees looking chilly

Of course we had NO snow when everyone else seemed to...

 

[Poly Hive]

Looked over at the high ground this morning while dog walking and the high land is white. The water people will be pleased.

PH

 

[peteinwilts]

Interesting: we have hundreds of willow trees and the bees were collecting nectar as well as pollen but now all the catkins are lying in the snow. Enough to keep up with brooding and a bit spare I hope. Cherry and damson blossom all sat on the trees looking chilly

Of course we had NO snow when everyone else seemed to...

i'm with you. I inspected two weeks ago and my biggest only had five frames of brood. i made sure all of my bees had two-three frames of syrup (left over from winter) in the hive to ride them through the cool period.

it has been too cool to inspect since, and can only assume they are using more stores rather than surplus. I am sure many of this years bees are too young to be foraging...

With the weather forecast this weekend i will do little more than a heft to make sure they have something left..