Queen cells found advice appreciated

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Not seen queen today but she is still laying eggs everywhere and there are a lot of young larve and sealed brood. One long queen cells on bottom off lower brood with small amount of milk in it but couldn't see a grub. Another few queen cells in upper(half) brood grubs only no milk? Also a few empty cups. I thought the cells would be swimming in milk?

I have a new brood box will be ready in about 2 days when dry which by the progress of the cells is more than enough. What is the most reliable way to AS as I have ready a few different ways moving the box from left to right on day 8 etc. To get new foragers to old queen?

I was going to ..... Old queen old site new box 1frame stores 1 open and 1 sealed brood totaling 3 frames then fill with framed foundation. No queen cells to go in here obviously (do I need to feed or will flying bees sort it?) Maybe shake a few extra house bees in too?

Old box new site to left from back all old frames in take all queens cells down except the best looking one. Do I need to feed as the flying bees will go to other hive?

I will get everything ready for Tuesday eve and assess from then.
Thanks for any input
 
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Have you a super on. If so that goes with the old queen so no need to feed.
How are the stores in the brood box you will move with the chosen queen cell?
You can base the need to feed on that.
Don't forget to go into both boxes in 6 days time to check for more queen cells.
 
Have you a super on. If so that goes with the old queen so no need to feed.
How are the stores in the brood box you will move with the chosen queen cell?
You can base the need to feed on that.
Don't forget to go into both boxes in 6 days time to check for more queen cells.

Super is only just starting to be drawn out stores to go with chosen queen cell are good maybe a few weeks worth?
 
Then I would give the queen's box a couple of litres and take the super off till brood box is drawn.Lots of forage coming up so just keep an eye on them.
 
Then I would give the queen's box a couple of litres and take the super off till brood box is drawn.Lots of forage coming up so just keep an eye on them.

I can go in the boxes in 4 days I'll be away for a few days then will that be OK? What if there are more cells in the old queens hive? Do I take them down? And let her carry on what ratio of sugar should I use for 2 litres water? Do I need anything else in the feed? I'm gonna inspect and move tomorrow night if they are drawing the cells further and not pulled them down
 
When you move the brood box away, reducing the queen cells to your chosen one the bees will miss the queen and make emergency cells. These are the one you need to remove. Bees can make emergency cells on three day old larvae so your optimum period of return is 6 days....at least you must get in there before your chosen queen emerges.
In the Q+ box the Pagden method sometimes fails in that the urge to swarm is not suppressed, they make more queen cells and swarm with the old queen...remember, you have lots of bees here...
Bees can swarm before QCs are sealed to complicate matters so I like to look in on the Q+ box at the same time or even a little earlier.
Feed 1:1 if needed
 
It does and just for good measure keep in mind learning never finishes

:iagree: It's the ones who think they know it all after a year or so, or don't think there's anything new to learn after more than 'n' years beekeeping, who are the ones that don't know much!
 
I have only had bees for 7 weeks. The learning curve is getting steeper by the day:hairpull:

I understand only too well where you're coming from - I started last year and on Friday I considered drowning them all! However, after talking to a few less bee-stressed folk, I am ever so slightly more optimistic. With 4 hives, one with a QC about to hatch, one raising supercedure cells, one (hopefully) with a queen that hatched 10 days ago and one with a drone-layer, you can see that the panic never stops.
 
:iagree: It's the ones who think they know it all after a year or so, or don't think there's anything new to learn after more than 'n' years beekeeping, who are the ones that don't know much!

Yep ... I sometimes think the bees have an idea that they will confound any effort the beekeeper makes to manage them. Just when you think you've got things in hand they go off at a tangent and you wonder just what they are doing ... no matter how well you prepare they will think of a way of making you feel completely inadequate.

Any beekeeper who tells you that beekeeping is straightforward has never kept bees ! I try to keep things simple and go with what the bees want to do ... if only, at times, I knew what it was they wanted to do !! :confused: :confused: :blush5:
 
:iagree: It's the ones who think they know it all after a year or so,

Particularly when they then start lecturing you on how their way works, so yours must be wrong.
However, I have noticed that this year (my 4th) I finally feel I 'get it'. I don't think I'm doing most things better (or too much worse most of the time) but this is the first year that it feels a bit more natural or maybe I'm just less worried that I'll do the wrong thing as the bees have a habit of bouncing back from most bad decisions.
 
I have noticed that this year (my 4th) I finally feel I 'get it'.

I though I "got it" and skipped down to the apiary today happy in the knowledge that I was on top of things.
What a fool!!!!!!!
I have had a challenging day.....sigh!
 
By 'getting it' I didn't mean I don't have (at least as many) problems as I did in previous years, just they don't seem quite as insurmountable :) but today was a challenge for me too, hell, on Friday I failed to squash a queen, how many times have I been worried about the opposite since I started.
 
Just gonna wax the frames then going in feed ready any last advice? Sealed brood capped? Both? Add nurse bees or just let the flying bees in?
 
I did one this afternoon
I frame of largely sealed brood.....with queen on, no QCs.
Split the supers between the AS and the parent.
 
The best one I could find with no QC was mainly sealed so I used that. To me an hour to find her little cow and she didn't want to go so I had to chase her off into new box. Two great big queen cells along with a load of smaller one so I took the best looking one and destroyed all others. Fed old queen with 2.5 litres ,,.....all very stressful never inhaled so much smoke in my life its a bit closed in the bottom yard
 
,,.....all very stressful never inhaled so much smoke in my life its a bit closed in the bottom yard

Indeed, keep your head and spirits up !! Year 2 and by God... It can be daunting !!

Started with a Nuc, now have literally 11 boxes of bees in various states of development from full colonies to queens waiting to mate !!

It's a Bloody full time job !! :D
 

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