Interesting day and some advice sort :-)

[steve56616]

Inspected my hives at my out apiary today as only day with good weather and no work.
1st hive good all well. 2nd and 3rd hive queenless again. So I'm puzzled.
No queen cells at all in either hive. 2nd hive had my 2013 marked queen added in a cage. At last inspection eggs and brood now nothing at all. The 3rd hive had new mated queen added a few months ago - they killed her, then combined with a spare nuc and they have killed her as well it seems. I've now put both these hives together as need the kit. Will decide what queen, nuc to give them. Any advice what they are doing? or what I'm going wrong?

Also my honey yield isn't looking very good even with the amount of bees from any of my hives. They are capping frames in the middle but leaving outer comb empty of honey. No hives seem to be filling very quickly either. Took off some a few weeks ago as it was crystalizing but not been much more added since??

While I was there I had a call from a lady with a swarm in her garden. Easy collection as in a small conifer. She showed me where they came from...about 3 houses had bees coming out of their chimneys. She said they have all been there years and swarm every year. Not sure what hey will be like or the nature of them but with all the swarms Ive lost it was nice to get one back even if it wasn't one of mine.

 

[Tom Bick]

Are you completely confident they were Q - I have seen three hives today with only sealed brood. Looks as though the queens have gone off lay for a few days. I thought bees expanding fast, along comes a bit of bad weather and they put the breaks on to preserve the brood they had?? Next week will reveal all problems or back to normal.

 

[steve56616]

Are you completely confident they were Q - I have seen three hives today with only sealed brood. Looks as though the queens have gone off lay for a few days. I thought bees expanding fast, along comes a bit of bad weather and they put the breaks on to preserve the brood they had?? Next week will reveal all problems or back to normal.

Going by the sound and nasty ways I think no queens in either. No brood at all only a little capped brood. 3rd hive absolutely nothing at all.

 

[enrico]

It does happen Steve. Test frame usually starts her off again! I had a hive I thought was queen less at last inspection, it swarmed today so I was very wrong!
E

 

[steve56616]

It does happen Steve. Test frame usually starts her off again! I had a hive I thought was queen less at last inspection, it swarmed today so I was very wrong!
E

One thing I am finding, having bees at an out apiary is harder work than having them at home. Although I moved three hives out as they were getting aggressive in March, I am back up to three in the garden again, well 1 and 2 nucs, but easier to manage here.
Last year I used to keep notes but not this year as time and laziness. I hould really as beginning to loose the plot

 

[BeeFarmer]

I have seen three hives today with only sealed brood. Looks as though the queens have gone off lay for a few days. I thought bees expanding fast, along comes a bit of bad weather and they put the breaks on to preserve the brood they had??

Same here one hive has frames full of brood in all stages. The other two have queens from A/S which haven't had the weather to get out and about although having one fly at my face gives me the impression she'd been out and got her bearings. The other has supercedure take place so currently got 3 virgin queens and only 4 hives, it's looking a little bare in the those hives but hopefully with a few days of sunshine mating will take place and things will be underway again!

 

[steve56616]

While I was there I had a call from a lady with a swarm in her garden. Easy collection as in a small conifer. She showed me where they came from...about 3 houses had bees coming out of their chimneys. She said they have all been there years and swarm every year. Not sure what hey will be like or the nature of them but with all the swarms Ive lost it was nice to get one back even if it wasn't one of mine.

Had a quick peek and these are doing ok. Built lots of new comb and HM started laying. Not sure what I will do with this colony as came from chimneys that have been going for a good few years so I was told. I saw the queen and she is almost black and the workers are much darker than my others. Never seen such dark bees. So far they seem friendly but then they are only in a nuc so time will tell

 

[lorrick]

It does happen Steve. Test frame usually starts her off again! I had a hive I thought was queen less at last inspection, it swarmed today so I was very wrong!
E

I am glad it happens to an experienced BEEK, as it has happened to me a few weeks ago luckily manage to catch 2 of the 3 swarms.