Opening apideas

[bpmurray]

My apideas will have been locked away for some 50 hours when I get back this evening so I suppose it's time to open them. Do I have to put something like branches in front of the entrances to ensure they don't just up & leave for their original hives? I plan on opening them as late as possible, to discourage them from leaving, but I'm still unclear about how it should be done.

After that, should I do an inspection tomorrow? I want to make sure that they have enough fondant and that the queens are still alive, but I don't know when that first inspection should take place.

 

[B+.]

After that, should I do an inspection tomorrow? I want to make sure that they have enough fondant and that the queens are still alive, but I don't know when that first inspection should take place.

You don't need to obstruct the entrance but you should face them in different directions so the queens don't go to the wrong entrance. The sliding door can work loose with time so be careful to ensure the entrance doesn't close (I wedge it open with a small stone). Other than that, leave them alone. You don't need to inspect them for at least two weeks.
It will be 5-7 days before the queen is sexually mature but she is incredibly nervous at this stage. They run and can often take flight if you open them unnecessarily.
The fondant box holds enough for 3-4 weeks at least so, if it was full, they are in no danger of running out. In fact, they often have fondant left. They sometimes run a little short of space in the Apidea so you can buy additional boxes that fit ontop to give them extra frames.
Be patient ....leave them alone for 2 weeks

 

[bpmurray]

I was watching them this evening and very few bees seem to be going in & out - is it possible that they headed "home" to their original hives? They were locked in for about 54 hours.

 

[B+.]

very few bees seem to be going in & out - is it possible that they headed "home" to their original hives?

Unlikely. Its more likely that they are clustered making comb. They have food so they don't really need to forage much (especially not in the evening).

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I was watching them this evening and very few bees seem to be going in & out - is it possible that they headed "home" to their original hives? They were locked in for about 54 hours.

My first Apidea scares me in the same way. Then I stop and think that it has a few HUNDRED bees, not tens of thousands like the neighbours.

 

[einsteinagogo]

You don't need to obstruct the entrance but you should face them in different directions so the queens don't go to the wrong entrance. The sliding door can work loose with time so be careful to ensure the entrance doesn't close (I wedge it open with a small stone). Other than that, leave them alone. You don't need to inspect them for at least two weeks.
It will be 5-7 days before the queen is sexually mature but she is incredibly nervous at this stage. They run and can often take flight if you open them unnecessarily.
The fondant box holds enough for 3-4 weeks at least so, if it was full, they are in no danger of running out. In fact, they often have fondant left. They sometimes run a little short of space in the Apidea so you can buy additional boxes that fit ontop to give them extra frames.
Be patient ....leave them alone for 2 weeks

I inspected all my Apideas after two weeks, and found queens had hatched, one flew out, (to which I said oh sh*t!), but after closing up, she flew back.

Frames 1 and 2 nearest the foundant feeder, were drawn, on all mine, and they had filled with stores, so none of the queens are laying at present, the last frame has not been drawn, I guess because I left the vent open....

I've now closed the vent, and swapped the frames, 1 and 3....

So depending on weather and location, you may also want to close.

 

[B+.]

if you open them unnecessarily.....leave them alone for 2 weeks

I should take my own advice sometimes!

 

[bpmurray]

I couldn't resist and it's not good news. Two apideas with cells have about 10 bees in them and one with a queen in a cage has about the same number. The fourth apidea has a bunch of bees, but the queen is still in the cage a week on. I have to assume they're feeding the queens since they're still alive, but it doesn't look good in general.

Any advice?

 

[einsteinagogo]

Have they got enough fondant?

Mine, are only half way through their fondant, after three weeks, and I still have the same number of bees present.

Queen hatched, not laying yet, at last check, but drawn two frames, not the third frame near the door, but have filled all frames with pollen and stores.

I'm waiting for queens to mate and lay, fine chance of that with this cold weather.

 

[bpmurray]

Plenty of fondant, but really - 10 bees is not an exaggeration!

 

[dn170221]

where did you get the bees that went in the apidea?

 

[bpmurray]

where did you get the bees that went in the apidea?

From another hive near the apideas - I suspect they just went "home". I'm considering staring again with that ignored queen, but placing the apideas where I have a couple of hives about 500m away so that the temptation is just that little less close. And I'll just give up on the QCs that seem to be totally ignored and have probably cooled down to where they will never hatch.

 

[rje66]

I couldn't resist and it's not good news. Two apideas with cells have about 10 bees in them and one with a queen in a cage has about the same number. The fourth apidea has a bunch of bees, but the queen is still in the cage a week on. I have to assume they're feeding the queens since they're still alive, but it doesn't look good in general.

Any advice?

We did a few apideas about the same time as you, in swords, so weather roughly the same, all have struggled badly. Most QC didn't emerge, probably due to cold. . Mine is at my house so I observe every day, bees active building comb and Some pollen coming in but numbers dwindling, think it's a lost cause, will replace failed QC AND ADD more bees or start from scratch.
Watching last night as sparrows were picking off bees at entrance

 

[einsteinagogo]

From another hive near the apideas - I suspect they just went "home". I'm considering staring again with that ignored queen, but placing the apideas where I have a couple of hives about 500m away so that the temptation is just that little less close. And I'll just give up on the QCs that seem to be totally ignored and have probably cooled down to where they will never hatch.

I actually "stole" my bees from my apiary, from supers, and they were left 7 days, in my garage, and outside (some days I though it as too cold outside) and sometimes too warm in my garage (don't ask!), they got sprayed twice a day through the vent, and checked every day, by removing lid, but not cover. All was well.

It was on the eighth day, QC introduced, and there were put outside, and the door opened.

This was not in my apiary, it was 1000m away from apiary, I was surprised, when I open the doors, I expected them to rush out, but it was late evening, and a few (3) emerged, flew around and back again.

I also thought I might see a few dead outside the apidea, but I've never seen any, I still think I have the same number in the apidea, just need to queens to mate, or mate and lay, or lay!

Anyway it's an interesting experience, micro managing apideas!

 

[B+.]

Anyway it's an interesting experience, micro managing apideas!

I think it was Woyke who said the amount of semen that migrated into the spermatheca was dependent on the number of bees in the nuc so I went back to using 5-frame nucs instead of micronucs

 

[snelgrove]

I always make my standard and mini nucs up from a different apiary to where they will be released. Even after confining the minI nucs for a few days I think there is till a chance of drifting back more so if they ain't predominantly young bees. Ten bees in an apidea I would say is not viable.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

I couldn't resist and it's not good news. Two apideas with cells have about 10 bees in them and one with a queen in a cage has about the same number. The fourth apidea has a bunch of bees, but the queen is still in the cage a week on. I have to assume they're feeding the queens since they're still alive, but it doesn't look good in general.

Any advice?

Hi bpmurray
Your going to have to start again I'm sorry to say
What you want to do is get a correx battery box or small stout cardboard one
Make a scoop by cutting the top half of a plastic 1 pint milk carton at an angle
Mark on the scoop a line where it holds 150 ml
Fill a water sprayer with water with the chill taken off
Take this lot with apideas to the donor hive

Now take out frames which have some brood on them and lightly shake them
don't go mad
Spray all the remaining bees with water and hit the frame on the end with your hand so the wet bees fall into your box
Give them another spray to keep them there
Depending how many mini nucs you have, go through enough frames to get more bees (same procedure)

With all the frames and fondant in place in your closed up apidea turn it upside down and slide the bottom back leaving plenty room
Have your virgin queen at hand in a cage of some description
Bump your cardboard box to get the bees to one corner and scoop out your 150 ml
Pour them in the apidea spray your virgin queen with water and chuck her in as well
Close up bottom, turn over, place in shady site
That night open the front of the apidea
Some bees will leave most will stay
Wait till mated
Cheer wildly crack open Champagne

 

[snelgrove]

to get the bees for the nucs I prefer to shake frames preferably with open brood clear of bees and place these above a queen excluder wait a few hours. young bees travel up to cover brood and then use these for the nucs, no drones and alot of bees ideal for mini nucs

 

[mbc]

I think it was Woyke who said the amount of semen that migrated into the spermatheca was dependent on the number of bees in the nuc so I went back to using 5-frame nucs instead of micronucs

This is massive, please reference it if you can, I did a quick search on Woyke and he's authored or coauthored so much I couldn't find this specific.

 

[mbc]

I always make my standard and mini nucs up from a different apiary to where they will be released. Even after confining the minI nucs for a few days I think there is till a chance of drifting back more so if they ain't predominantly young bees. Ten bees in an apidea I would say is not viable.

In my experience this isn't necessary, what is necessary is to reprogramme the bees. In the case of a mininuc this entails keeping them confined until they switch and become a new cohesive unit, this can be very quick with a virgin (almost overnight) but a bit longer until a queen hatches with a cell, a cell on its own doesn't really provide the necessary glue to hold the unit together. Jon from Belfast has loads of experience with apidea and he writes good stuff on their use on the Scottish forum.
I have made up packages and left them overnight with a caged queen before installing them back into the apiary where the bees came from without any evident drifting, once that "switch" is turned on and they're reprogrammed then it's pretty emphatic and nigh on 100% ime.