My first hive manipulation

[deemann1]

I checked on my hive today there was a load of bee's outside the opening and i could hear a loud hum.
Something didn't look right when I opened the brood box and it was packed with bee's fanning full frames apart from one .
I also found 2 queen cells .
I tried the pagden method with a 6 frames nuc .
Will I have to feed either hive in next few days ?
And what happens if this procedure doesn't work .

 

[Uncle Betty]

There have been a number of posts recently mentioning Pagden/Artificial Swarm, with the use of nuc boxes.

Where is all this coming from ?

 

[deemann1]

I'm only starting out and i used the polystyrene 6 frames nuc as a hive . I need to purchase another national

 

[Millet]

I checked on my hive today there was a load of bee's outside the opening and i could hear a loud hum.
Something didn't look right when I opened the brood box and it was packed with bee's fanning full frames apart from one .
I also found 2 queen cells .
I tried the pagden method with a 6 frames nuc .
Will I have to feed either hive in next few days ?
And what happens if this procedure doesn't work .

Text Finny or Email him..

 

[Uncle Betty]

I'm only starting out and i used the polystyrene 6 frames nuc as a hive . I need to purchase another national

Fair enough.

Anyway, as to your question, and assuming it's your only colony...

you have the queen in the original location in a new box/nuc, right ? With a frame of brood. And a frame of food. The rest of the box/nuc filled out with foundation. The flying bees will go to that spot. Call it the 'swarm'.

In a new location 3+ feet away, is all your brood and nurse/house bees. Call it the 'parent' hive.

Did you have a super on ? It would have been a good swarm pre-emptive measure.

The standard advice is to put any supers with the 'swarm'. So that takes care of them.

Some alternatively suggest putting the supers with the 'parent', since they are for now without foragers.

You have to go back in to both sides in four to five days anyway, so maybe you noticed at the time you did the AS that they had enough to keep them going until then ?

Generally, the options after an Artificial Swarm are to either -

i) let them develop into a second colony (aka 'making increase').

If it all goes wrong for any reason and your virgin fails to mate, you could give them a frame of eggs from another colony and try again.

or...

ii) re-unite them back together after the virgin queen has started to lay, if you don't want more colonies. You will have to choose which queen to keep and which to cull in this case. All other things being equal, the younger queen is considered more desirable by many.

There are way more experienced people here than I who will possibly give you a better answer.

 

[deemann1]

Fair enough.

Anyway, as to your question, and assuming it's your only colony...

you have the queen in the original location in a new box/nuc, right ? With a frame of brood. And a frame of food. The rest of the box/nuc filled out with foundation. The flying bees will go to that spot. Call it the 'swarm'.

In a new location 3+ feet away, is all your brood and nurse/house bees. Call it the 'parent' hive.

Did you have a super on ? It would have been a good swarm pre-emptive measure.

The standard advice is to put any supers with the 'swarm'. So that takes care of them.

Some alternatively suggest putting the supers with the 'parent', since they are for now without foragers.

You have to go back in to both sides in four to five days anyway, so maybe you noticed at the time you did the AS that they had enough to keep them going until then ?

Generally, the options after an Artificial Swarm are to either -

i) let them develop into a second colony (aka 'making increase').

If it all goes wrong for any reason and your virgin fails to mate, you could give them a frame of eggs from another colony and try again.

or...

ii) re-unite them back together after the virgin queen has started to lay, if you don't want more colonies. You will have to choose which queen to keep and which to cull in this case. All other things being equal, the younger queen is considered more desirable by many.

There are way more experienced people here than I who will possibly give you a better answer.

Yes the Queen is in original location with 1 frame brood and stores the rest foundation.
There was some stores left in parent hive .
I would hope they develop into a second colony ..
Thanks for taking the time to reply

 

[Uncle Betty]

Yes the Queen is in original location with 1 frame brood and stores the rest foundation.
There was some stores left in parent hive .
I would hope they develop into a second colony ..
Thanks for taking the time to reply

OK.

So about four days after you've made the manipulation, you need to go back in and see that

i) on the Queenright side, that there are no more queen cells.

ii) on the queenless side, that the queen cell you chose*** is ok, and also get rid of any emergency queen cells made in the meantime.

Then leave the queenless side alone for three weeks, to give your virgin time to emerge, get mated, and lay. Hopefully.

Best of luck.


*** A lot of people mark the top bar of the frame where the queen cell they've chosen is located. Drawing pins are often suggested but I use a spot of queen-marking paint.

 

[deemann1]

I just checked my hives the queenless hive has tore down the Queen cells what should I do now reunited them ??

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I just checked my hives the queenless hive has tore down the Queen cells what should I do now reunited them ??

You sure the queen isn't in that hive?

 

[deemann1]

You sure the queen isn't in that hive?

There is no queen I checked this morning and again this evening....

 

[Poly Hive]

There is no queen... oh a bold statement.

Put in a test frame please. Better safe than sorry.

PH

 

[drex]

I just checked my hives the queenless hive has tore down the Queen cells what should I do now reunited them ??

Think about it. " the queen less hive " has torn down queen cells and left themselves purposefully hopelessly queen less?

 

[Uncle Betty]

There is no queen... oh a bold statement.

Put in a test frame please. Better safe than sorry.

PH

Yep. The great value of having a second colony, which the OP unfortunately does not.