One turns into three cross fingers

[Freer4]

Last week (sat) I went through my hive, brood on 8 frames, couldn't find queen but there were eggs still so just thought I couldn't find her, there where some small queen cell in the centre of some frames, I left them. Today I went through them again, still couldn't see the elusive one,but found alot of capped queen cells, so me being brave decided to split, I put two frames of brood and one stores into a nuc and the same into a national brood, I also shook some bees into both, all three had queen cell in (sealed).
As there was quite a few q cells I broke one open and there was a lava in it but it was full with royal jelly I think, is there suppose to be that much in a cell?
Hope this works ( bum nipping moment)

 

[Worldsend]

I am going through the same thing myself -dont know whether to be excited or worried!

 

[Freer4]

I no, I couldn't sleep last night worrying.
Hope it works and I've done it right or I've just doomed my only hive.
Have you done the same or just at the worrying stage of no queen

 

[Freer4]

How long should I leave them for before inspection

 

[freethorpe bees]

I'm no expert, far from it, but the q- colonies I think you should leave for three weeks to allow HM to complete her mating flights. I expect someone will be along to say otherwise!
Don't worry too much! (hmmm, I should take my own advice!)

 

[stilllearning]

if you couldn't find the queen then i would check them all in a weeks time, if you still have a queen she will be laying in one of the three nucs, knock out any qcells and give them a bit of room, as for the other two leave them for 4-5 weeks, (that is from the time you made them) cross your fingers, cross your legs and wait...........

 

[Freer4]

Thanks for replies il give them a week and see what's going on, by then I should have three queens albeit virgins hopefully.

 

[Freer4]

Starting to get worried now, just went through the split hives and I couldn't see a queen still and no sign of eggs help. It's been more than three weeks

 

[mojomoo]

Freer, my QCs took 5 weeks to start laying, that was with good weather for mating flights.
So just give in another 2 weeks.

 

[drstitson]

"Starting to get worried now, just went through the split hives and I couldn't see a queen still and no sign of eggs help. It's been more than three weeks"

presumably in the meantime you've seen evidence of empty cell from which a queen has hatched in each nuc?

weather hasn't been too good recently so don't panic.

BTW when you evened up bee numbers when making up the nucs you didn't shake frames with QCs on did you? that is a big no no as it separates HM-to-be from the royal jelly (which as you've seen fills the base/proximal/top end of the cell).

 

[Freer4]

I really hope I didn't shake ones with q cells on, but me and my heavy hands?
The nuke was small and has been getting smaller so I rejoined it to the smaller of the hives so they are about even now.
Both hives have queen cells which look to have hatched?

 

[Susan1]

Can I ask were you put the hive and nucs when you split them are they supposed to be three miles from origional hive?

 

[Freer4]

I hope not ( 3 miles ) cos mine are only 6 foot away from original hive that might bee the problem.

 

[huntsman666]

<I hope not ( 3 miles ) cos mine are only 6 foot away from original hive that might bee the problem.>

If you gave the frames you added a shake, then the older bees will be first to fall off. Those remaining will largely be house bees not yet flying. Any field bees ( the older ones) will return to the original site.

If you have enough of these younger bees in each new hive you should be fine with 6 foot away.

BTW; there always more royal jelly than they actually need so don't worry about this either.

 

[Freer4]

Hi huntsman don't think I shook the flyers off but after a week there was a good amount of bees still, the frames I put in too had alot of brood ready to hatch. But both hives now have no brood left to hatch so I hope I've got a virgin in them some where

 

[drstitson]

what i've done when faced with making (emergency) splits without convenient access to out apiary I've simply shifted the hives about every few days (ie swapping places) such that foragers get shared between the hives rather than bolstering just one.

 

[BKF Admin]

Good advice from drStitson.

 

[Freer4]

Is it a bit late now for that three weeks on?
They both seem to have good amounts of flying bees now

 

[huntsman666]

It's not about what you might have done but what you actually did. No point giving advice on what you should have done.

Don't sweat it, you'll be fine.

 

[Freer4]

Had a look in hives yesterday, the new hive has eggs now but couldn't see her royal ness, the original hive still no eggs, the thought was to leave it for another week then give them a frame of eggs from the new hive if they have expanded enough.
It's been 5 weeks now