Lots of brood

[jonnybeegood]

Just done an inspection on 3 nucs, frames of capped brood in all, one which i made from a prolific queen last year had 4 frames of capped brood, some brood was hatching, when i lifted the first outside frame out to make room the queen was on it & one side was absolutley covered in eggs. Lots of fresh pollen & fresh nectar on part of two frames. So glad i looked in, i will put this nuc into a new Bb today or tomorrow. No queen cells as yet, one of my other nucs had fresh nectar on two frames, must be a flow on something here?

 

[REDWOOD]

Good news then, that on Earth, somewhere, there is a nectar flow on

 

[jonnybeegood]

Good news then, that on Earth, somewhere, there is a nectar flow on

I went into my 3 hives just now, spotted 2 of the queens, capped brood in all the hives, lots of packed yellow pollen & fresh nectar in the bb's, never mind the bees , i am so buzzing right now, i didnt even need to use the smoker! 2 supers 3/4 full of capped honey, one half full from last year.

 

[jonnybeegood]

 

[jonnybeegood]

you can see fresh nectar in this one.

 

[Finman]

View attachment 11582

Looks like willow

 

[oliver90owner]

Let's just analyse this just a tiny tad.

Here we have a nuc.

It has 4 frames of capped brood

Queen is, or has been laying recently, and there is at least half a frame of eggs.

Just doesn't ring true to me.

Ratio of capped brood to larvae to eggs is generally considered as roughly 4:2:1.

So there should be about 2 frames of larvae and one frame of eggs. That makes 7 frames of brood, without any stores or space. Some nuc, that - or some exaggeration! Now I am wondering which it might be.

 

[beeno]

Hi Jonny,
Great news. Deffo willow as Finman said. My hives are smelling as if they are bringing something in too. One of my hives had three frames of capped brood and three frames of eggs. Common this time of the year according to the books as they prefer to brood in patches, get one lot up and going before starting on the next batch. Presumably because there is no guarantee of being able to get out to collect enough pollen.
To cold for mine to be out today, but very active yesterday.

 

[Finman]

Let's just analyse this just a tiny tad.

Here we have a nuc.

It has 4 frames of capped brood

Queen is, or has been laying recently, and there is at least half a frame of eggs.

Just doesn't ring true to me.

Ratio of capped brood to larvae to eggs is generally considered as roughly 4:2:1.

So there should be about 2 frames of larvae and one frame of eggs. That makes 7 frames of brood, without any stores or space. Some nuc, that - or some exaggeration! Now I am wondering which it might be.

Difficult to say, what they are
Picture shows one frame which has actually not much brood. Winter stores are so much, that no eggs can be layed. (centre versus outer zone perhaps 1:4)

Nectar might be at least partly from winter stores, when bees try to clear combs for laying and more food to peripheria.

One picture does not describe as much as 10 pictures , but that frame is stucked.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Let's just analyse this just a tiny tad.

Here we have a nuc.

It has 4 frames of capped brood

Queen is, or has been laying recently, and there is at least half a frame of eggs.

Just doesn't ring true to me.

Ratio of capped brood to larvae to eggs is generally considered as roughly 4:2:1.

So there should be about 2 frames of larvae and one frame of eggs. That makes 7 frames of brood, without any stores or space. Some nuc, that - or some exaggeration! Now I am wondering which it might be.

I thought you might have something to say.
Its a 14x12 nuc with 6 frames, made up last year by taking a frame of young brood from a hive with a prolific queen, i also added a frame of brood, one of stores & pollen, 3 frames of foundation & i fed sugar syrup. I contemplated putting this nuc into a hive last year as it was quite full but i left it too late. It now has honey stores, pollen stores & brood on 4 frames, & an outside frame nearest the feeder full of eggs. The one on the opposite side is drawn out with honey & some pollen. Sorry if this doesnt conform to your Ratios, this is how it is, sorry if this beginner has done well without your expertise, but i will continue to do so.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Difficult to say, what they are
Picture shows one frame which has actually not much brood. Winter stores are so much, that no eggs can be layed. (centre versus outer zone perhaps 1:4)

Nectar might be at least partly from winter stores, when bees try to clear combs for laying and more food to peripheria.

One picture does not describe as much as 10 pictures , but that frame is stucked.

The pictures are from my hives not the nuc fin man. What do you mean " that frame is stucked"? I dont understand?

 

[Finman]

Common this time of the year according to the books as they prefer to brood in patches, get one lot up and going before starting on the next batch. .

That is not they way they "prefer". In spring brood area has patches because there are cold and rainy days. When pollen is finish, bees eate part on larvae. Fogure is like shooted woth shotgun. With continuous protein feeding there is no porous surface in brood area.

That means that there should be room for pollen to store. But like in the picture, there is no free cells for pollen or for eggs.

There basic reason is however, that colony is small and it cannot keep such broodnest like beekeepers believes.

Nights are cold, about 5C and bee gang constrict itself over brood.

Now you can arange a catastrope. You throw an empty comb box over brood, and bees cannot any more keep as much brood warm as before. They must destroy part of brood.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Hi Jonny,
Great news. Deffo willow as Finman said. My hives are smelling as if they are bringing something in too. One of my hives had three frames of capped brood and three frames of eggs. Common this time of the year according to the books as they prefer to brood in patches, get one lot up and going before starting on the next batch. Presumably because there is no guarantee of being able to get out to collect enough pollen.
To cold for mine to be out today, but very active yesterday.

Thanks Beeno, i could see one cell hatching on one of the frames & there were new bees that couldnt yet fly, very hairy too. Lovely day here, bees everywhere & tons of pollen going in , i guess theyll need it

 

[Finman]

The pictures are from my hives not the nuc fin man. What do you mean " that frame is stucked"? I dont understand?

There is no more free cells where to put pollen or larvae.
Bees cannot either move food to another place. If they could, there should be a circle of open brood too in the picture.

 

[jonnybeegood]

That is not they way they "prefer". In spring brood area has patches because there cold and rsiny days. When pollen is finish, bees eate part on larvae. Fogure is like shooted woth shotgun. With continuous protein feeding there is no porous surface in brood area.

That means that thete should be room gor pollen to store. But like in the picture, thete is no free nor pollen or fot eggs.

There basic reason is however, that colony is small and it cannot keep such broodnest like beekeepers brlieves.

Nights are vold, about 5C and bee gang consyroct itself ove brood.

Now you can arange a catastrope. You throw an empty comb box over brood, and bees cannot any more keep as much brood warm as before. They must destroy part of brood.

My plan was to put the 6 frames into a Bb with a couple of frames of foundation on the outsides & dummy board, once the foundation is drawn i will add a couple more, if the weather stays like this the temps will improve. If i do nothing they will swarm soon, the nuc is full of bees & when the capped brood hatches in maybe a week or more it will be over crowded.

 

[Finman]

! 2 supers 3/4 full of capped honey, one half full from last year.

Where are those supers? Under or above the brood box. If they are under, bees move old honey up and stuck brood combs. If supers are up, heat escapes from brood area up to loft.

Supers have last years honey. It only slows the spring build up.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Where are those supers? Under or above the brood box. If they are under, bees move old honey up and stuck brood combs. If supers are up, heat escapes from brood area up to loft.

Supers have last years honey. It only slows the spring build up.

There is a super on each hive on top, i didnt put them under the Bb i put them on top, i asked a question about whether i should extract the honey but it sounded like i should leave them as they might still need it, now that i have looked in the BBs i can see enough stores in there too. By the way the photo of the frame isnt the full frame, i had to crop it so i could post it here. There is plenty room in the BB's, they werent as full of brood as the nucs were.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Would you say this is fresh honey in the super frame, not the full one, the other one. [/ATTACH]

 

[jonnybeegood]

 

[Finman]

I thought you might have something to say.
Its a 14x12 nuc with 6 frames, made up last year by taking a frame of young brood from a hive with a prolific queen, i also added a frame of brood, one of stores & pollen, 3 frames of foundation & i fed sugar syrup. I contemplated putting this nuc into a hive last year as it was quite full but i left it too late. It now has honey stores, pollen stores & brood on 4 frames, & an outside frame nearest the feeder full of eggs. The one on the opposite side is drawn out with honey & some pollen. Sorry if this doesnt conform to your Ratios, this is how it is, sorry if this beginner has done well without your expertise, but i will continue to do so.

Colony is small, hive is full of winter food, beginner try to fill hive with syrup. That is beginner.

I think that you cannot enlarge the hive untill lots of new bees have emerged.
Do not hurry up with your plan.