Post winter advice

[Clemcook]

Hi guys!

The verdict of the overwintering for my two hives are that unfortunately my big one didn't make it, however my smaller one with the Queen I raise last year did which is a positive this is my first full year of beekeeping so I've just got a couple of questions about where to go from here

Successful hive... I actually spotted my queen yesterday which is amazing I couldn't see her last year maybe she was a bit small anyway there was plenty of pollen and I would say capped brood on about three/ four frames and varying stages on the others however I am bad at spotting eggs. My main question for this one would be that I decided to put a super on because I had so many problems last year with swarming and also the pollen is coming in quite fast with just the right thing to do? I'm starting to question myself because there wasn't an awful lot of Honey stores at all within the Hive but I know from past that when the flow really gets on it comes in quite quickly?

Failed hive.... There's bees within the Hive would it be an idea to try and unite them with the successful hive? And if so what's the best way to do it? Or shall I leave them for when I try and raise a new queen from the successful hive?

Thank you x

 

[JWF]

If you don't understand why your big colony failed you may introduce disease into your good colony, if that's what did them in.

It's also useful to know how long they've been queenless, as if the colony is now mostly filled with old bees they will be poorer at raising brood, including the queen larvae (that's if you're intending donating a frame of eggs/brood rather than a sealed QC).

Four frames of brood is a bit small for supering, but (and there's always a but!) they do need space for the queen to lay so adding a super will help ensure that the brood box doesn't get honey logged - you can judge that from subsequent inspections but if there's very few stores in there at the moment they probably don't need a super at the moment.

 

[Curley]

I read that as 4 frames capped and some frames with other brood so iF that other brood is on a further 3 frames or more, supering would be a good idea as per JWF. Think about numbers of bees. You may need the super just to provide somewhere for the bees to sit. Overcrowding is a trigger for swarming. 1 frame of brood equals 3 frames of bees after they emerge.

 

[Clemcook]

I think the failed hive was too large and they became isolated, they went into winter double BB and packed with bees, such a shame, naxt year I will keep them as single story, the Queen was the most prolific and I couldn't keep up with her, thinking this is my new queen's mother I didn't want any swarmy behaviour.

It also wasn't an awful lot of stores around the brood, do you think I should be feeding them? They've recently been fed to sugar syrup but as the flow is starting to come in nicely I thought I'd take this away without re filling.

 

[madasafish]

I think the failed hive was too large and they became isolated, they went into winter double BB and packed with bees, such a shame, naxt year I will keep them as single story, the Queen was the most prolific and I couldn't keep up with her, thinking this is my new queen's mother I didn't want any swarmy behaviour.

It also wasn't an awful lot of stores around the brood, do you think I should be feeding them? They've recently been fed to sugar syrup but as the flow is starting to come in nicely I thought I'd take this away without re filling.

What and when were your varroa treatments..?