Panic stations

[Newbeebeekeeper]

Hey everyone

Panic stations today when i went out to my bees and they appear fo have been drawing out a few play cups and it looks as if they are in the process of drawying out two queen cells as they look to have eggs in them and i panicked and smooshed one.

I only have 5 frames or brood and 6.5 frames full of bees and they are in the process of slowly drawing out comb on the the 6th.

I have another hive ready to go and i have nearly finished building my nuc but very concerned that i dont have enough for a split and that if they go first it could ruin both of them

Thanks in advance

 

[enrico]

Firstly I wouldn't panic until you can see larvae with white stuff. Play cups are nothing and eggs can be removed easily. Better to let the bees destroy them rather than you though. It may be that they want to replace the queen or they may indeed want to swarm. A risk you take if you let them take their own course.
My advise, check in three days and see what has happened to the queen cells
E

 

[Uncle Betty]

Deleted

 

[Hebeegeebee]

That's not a big colony to try to swarm - but it happens. Hopefully they will stay in the box!

A tip given to me ages ago. If you see a problem in your hives, put the crown board and have a cup of tea. That will give you time to decide what to do.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

There is larva with white stuff or at least white stuff. The queen is last years queen so i hope shes not about to get a p45 already

 

[Millet]

There is larva with white stuff or at least white stuff. The queen is last years queen so i hope shes not about to get a p45 already

.

 

[Uncle Betty]

There is larva with white stuff or at least white stuff. The queen is last years queen so i hope shes not about to get a p45 already

Game on, so !

You should learn to look forward to it. It's a sign they're feeling good about themselves.

Good luck !

 

[Millet]

The last Mongrels i had could barely manage 6 frames of brood but still swarmed. They made play cups i knocked them down they made Queen cells i knocked them down, they carried on and swarmed regardless even though they had ton's of room,them bees are not with me anymore.

 

[thorn]

The last Mongrels i had could barely manage 6 frames of brood but still swarmed. They made play cups i knocked them down they made Queen cells i knocked them down, they carried on and swarmed regardless even though they had ton's of room,them bees are not with me anymore.

For my first three years of beekeeping I had bees like that. Bee buddy and I thought it was our incompetence, until we bought in another colony. The new lot just got on with bringing stores, and never thought of swarming. The original bunch kept on swarming and threw off cast after cast. We requested them, and we’ve all lived happily ever after.

 

[mickbees23]

2 queen cells is not really swarm mode though is it ? It could be a poorly mated queen facing supercedure.
I would clip her wings and let nature take its course, or stick her in a nuc, breaking down cells just leads to stressed bees and an even more stressed bee keeper.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

Cheers, Mick.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

So it turns out that i must have caught the light wrong when i looked in the queen cell.

So it looks as if no swarming currently on the horizon and i still have 5 frames of brood and they are starting on 2 frames of honey in the brood box.

Is there something i should be doing now?

 

[beeno]

Make sure they are drawing out all the frames in the brood box by adding one each side of the brood nest.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

I have one on each side however there appears to be a weakness in back frame and it seemed to split or pull appart and stick to the back wall so i tidied it up best i could and moved everything forward one to see jf that helped.

 

[john t]

That's not a big colony to try to swarm - but it happens. Hopefully they will stay in the box!

A tip given to me ages ago. If you see a problem in your hives, put the crown board and have a cup of tea. That will give you time to decide what to do.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A tip given to me ages ago. If you see a problem in your hives, put the crown board and have a cup of tea.

Unless the problem is occupied queen cells - by the time you've finished your tea - guaranteed they'll have gone, sealed cell or not.

 

[Hebeegeebee]