steve_e
House Bee
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2010
- Messages
- 251
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- East Sussex
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 3
I have a possibly daft question but with my hives outside my kitchen window I'm able to observe them several times a day - maybe turning a new beekeeper into a twitchy nervous one...
Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed occasional wax uncappings happening under two of my three hives (it's a crushed sandstone base so much more visible than grass and the hives are OMF).
It seems to happen within a day and looks as though one frame is involved (a strip running from front to back).
So the question is, what is this an indicator of? Are the bees just uncapping and consuming their stores? If so why so much in such short spurts?
Or is it possible a lot of new brood is emerging at one time? Probably the wrong time of year for this to happen (and I might be clutching at straws here as I think one of those colonies might be queenless...)?
Or any other reason?
Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed occasional wax uncappings happening under two of my three hives (it's a crushed sandstone base so much more visible than grass and the hives are OMF).
It seems to happen within a day and looks as though one frame is involved (a strip running from front to back).
So the question is, what is this an indicator of? Are the bees just uncapping and consuming their stores? If so why so much in such short spurts?
Or is it possible a lot of new brood is emerging at one time? Probably the wrong time of year for this to happen (and I might be clutching at straws here as I think one of those colonies might be queenless...)?
Or any other reason?