Oh dear...another year down the drain?

[sean-a]

I have a hive that had a prolific queen, loads of brood and a good pattern.
On two brood boxes
Checked it tonight for the first time in a week and the hive was crammed with bees and about 6 sealed queen cells.
There were eggs too but I couldn't find the queen, went through both boxes twice and picked up a few stings in the process.

I decided to split the colony so I;

1)put a couple of brood frames and a sealed queen cell in a nuc with some stores

2.) Put three frames of brood and a frame of stores into a new brood box on a new stand. Put a super with a couple of frames of sealed stores on the top

3.) Put four frames of brood and a frame of stores into a new brood box on a new stand. Put a super with a couple of frames of sealed stores on the top

4.) Left the existing box on the stand with a couple of frames of brood and eggs and hopefully the queen, and filled the rest of the box with foundation.

I suspect that I have split too far for any crop, but if I get four colonies I will be happy.

Should I do anything more?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I have a hive that had a prolific queen, loads of brood and a good pattern.
On two brood boxes
Checked it tonight for the first time in a week and the hive was crammed with bees and about 6 sealed queen cells.
There were eggs too but I couldn't find the queen, went through both boxes twice and picked up a few stings in the process.

I decided to split the colony so I;

1)put a couple of brood frames and a sealed queen cell in a nuc with some stores

2.) Put three frames of brood and a frame of stores into a new brood box on a new stand. Put a super with a couple of frames of sealed stores on the top

3.) Put four frames of brood and a frame of stores into a new brood box on a new stand. Put a super with a couple of frames of sealed stores on the top

4.) Left the existing box on the stand with a couple of frames of brood and eggs and hopefully the queen, and filled the rest of the box with foundation.

I suspect that I have split too far for any crop, but if I get four colonies I will be happy.

Should I do anything more?

I'm missing 5 QCs in that account. Where are they? And are you trying to achieve increase to four, or a crop?

 

[sean-a]

Queen cells removed from existing box and placed in the nuc and two new boxes. I am hoping that the Queen is still in the original box. I could see eggs but couldn't find her, despite going through the boxes twice.

Ideally I would like to get something of a crop but if that has to wait until next year it'd not be the end of the world.

The Queen was going like a train so I am hoping to preserve her genetics.

 

[Jimmy]

Queen cells ......

The Queen was going like a train so I am hoping to preserve her genetics.

Have you thought of re-queening with some less swarmy genetics? No point being prolific and building up well if that comes at the cost of swarming and losing your honey crop.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

. I am hoping that the Queen is still in the original box. I could see eggs but couldn't find her, despite going through the boxes twice.

Checked it tonight for the first time in a week and the hive was crammed with bees and about 6 sealed queen cells.
There were eggs too but I couldn't find the queen, went through both boxes twice

Presence of eggs means zilch - she's gone. and by the amount of frames of brood you had, no surprise.

 

[sean-a]

Presence of eggs means zilch - she's gone. and by the amount of frames of brood you had, no surprise.

That's disappointing. I was thinking that her being prolific was a good think.
What should I have done?
I gave her a second brood box under the first and two supers.
I though she had loads of space.

The Weather was awful so I hadn't checked her for a week.

Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if the QC's were sealed - they've been there for at least eight days. An A/S would probably have saved the day if you had seen them when you last inspected a week ago. an extra BB over the existing one works better than under as the queen tends to move up if there's space. But it's not always about space, when they want to go they'll go

 

[Eyeman]

I gave her a second brood box under the first and two supers.
I though she had loads of space.

Prolific queens potentially will make lots of honey but will need to be actively managed,
You'll need lots of drawn brood comb early in the season and to swap frames of stores with drawn comb to stay one step ahead of her.

 

[sean-a]

Prolific queens potentially will make lots of honey but will need to be actively managed,
You'll need lots of drawn brood comb early in the season and to swap frames of stores with drawn comb to stay one step ahead of her.

Thanks.

I was thinking that it was going to be a bumper year as the queen was filling up the brood chamber with loads of brood in a perfect pattern. The bees were docile as anything too.....until the last inspection when they were all over me like a rash and stinging my gloves...managed to ping me a few times through the seams of the gloves.

It's harder than you think!
Still, another thing chalked down to experience.

 

[sean-a]

Presence of eggs means zilch - she's gone. and by the amount of frames of brood you had, no surprise.

Sadly you were right. I had a look this evening and there are a handful of emergency queen cells in the hive, no eggs or queen to be seen.

Should I move one of the frames with the original queen cells that I had put into a nuc back? I guess that this would save me a week or so.
If I do that, should I take down the emergency cells?

I was also wondering if I should feed the hive, there is a bit of stores but not much.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Sadly you were right. I had a look this evening and there are a handful of emergency queen cells in the hive, no eggs or queen to be seen.



Should I move one of the frames with the original queen cells that I had put into a nuc back? I guess that this would save me a week or so.

If I do that, should I take down the emergency cells?



I was also wondering if I should feed the hive, there is a bit of stores but not much.

I would, to all. Swarm cells are more likely to give better Qs and as you say are ahead.


... Unless she is in with some and has torn them down. I have done that...

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