Sealed Queen cups in all my hives

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

We check our hives on Sat every one had sealed queen cups in them we have put all our hives on double brood boxes and there is plenty of room in them all including supers with free space. Has anybody else had this happen? Not sure what we should do we knock down quite a few and split two hives. all the queens bar one are 2012 queens and one 2013 not sure what is for the best.

Robbie

 

[Finman]

We check our hives on Sat every one had sealed queen cups in them we have put all our hives on double brood boxes and there is plenty of room in them all including supers with free space. Has anybody else had this happen? Not sure what we should do we knock down quite a few and split two hives. all the queens bar one are 2012 queens and one 2013 not sure what is for the best.

Robbie

You are in a hurry to make 9 AS.

It seems that you have very swarmy stock.

Better to get new laying queens and change the whole orchestra.

.

.

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Hi Finman they were fine last year I just wonder why so many queen cells

 

[Finman]

Hi Finman they were fine last year I just wonder why so many queen cells

You said that the queens have reneved last year. Something has happened in that, either in queens or drones, that they all are ready to swarm at same time.

Once I had splended non swarming bees stock, Then the best hive made swarm cells and I took lots of virgins from that hive. Next summer all swarmed.

 

[MuswellMetro]

We check our hives on Sat every one had sealed queen cups in them we have put all our hives on double brood boxes and there is plenty of room in them all including supers with free space. Has anybody else had this happen? Not sure what we should do we knock down quite a few and split two hives. all the queens bar one are 2012 queens and one 2013 not sure what is for the best.

Robbie

Where did you/they get the 2013 queen from, could be badly mated 2012 queens or swarmy stock..are they home grown or bought in

Did you not see Charged Queen cells at your last inspection seven days previous, you should have then ample time to undertake a swarm method such as a Pagden or Demaree or even as a last resort split off the Queen into a Nuc and take away

 

[For want of a better word]

Must be our unusual Spring and changeable weather.

Be prepared to go swarm chasing, split down colonies to nucs with brood and queen cells in each.. and feed all 1:1

AS would now be too late...... drastic, but you could find queen and shake a load of bees in with her all on new frames?

Open mate as you are in best place ( on / near Rame)..
.. but if your bees are on other side of the Tamar....... probably will be Carniolian / Italian mongrels, have already has a few swarms of that mix inhabit bait hives!

 

[beeno]

This is what bee nightmares are made off. Feel so sorry for you.

 

[Finman]

This is what bee nightmares are made off. Feel so sorry for you.

not that way at all.

It is nightmere if the those swarms are allredy gone to skyes blue. Bees are still in hives.

I wonder why all hives are in same situation?

Now you need 10 boxes foundation frames. A little bit hurry. Then extra roof and floors.
In a hurry you may do them from 30 mm styroafoam insulating board. It is very fast. A straight wound onto a board and you snap the pieces apart.

That quality board is blue in my country.

Plywood floor is easy to build too. A piece of plywood and 3 panel sticks.
.
.

 

[drstitson]

do you mean sealed QCs? if so all your hives have swarmed.

presumably no queens or eggs seen?

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

No this is what I cant understand we check 14 days ago all hives doing well building up just some old play cups the on Sat every hive had sealed QC in but still lots of grubs of all sizes sealed brood and lots of bees I cant make sense of it who said your third year would be better than 1 and 2 ???????? BEES

 

[For want of a better word]

No this is what I cant understand we check 14 days ago all hives doing well building up just some old play cups the on Sat every hive had sealed QC in but still lots of grubs of all sizes sealed brood and lots of bees I cant make sense of it who said your third year would be better than 1 and 2 ???????? BEES

Double dip beekeepering!....Milencovitch Cycles wobbling our weather again!
It can only get better.......

 

[Finman]

who said your third year would be better than 1 and 2 ???????? BEES

We have a proverb: "Third time tells a truth"

.

 

[drstitson]

"this is what I cant understand: we check 14 days ago all hives doing well building up just some old play cups then on Sat every hive had sealed QC "

What is there not to understand? We are in peak swarming season and you leave hives 10 days (or was it 14) between inspections. QCs are sealed at day 8.

Recipe for swarms. Inspection periods at this time should be no less frequent than weekly. Many would say check every 5 days at high risk period.

 

[Swarm]

"this is what I cant understand: we check 14 days ago all hives doing well building up just some old play cups then on Sat every hive had sealed QC "

What is there not to understand? We are in peak swarming season and you leave hives 10 days (or was it 14) between inspections. QCs are sealed at day 8.

 

[REDWOOD]

We have a proverb: "Third time tells a truth"

.

We have one also; "The young and the drunk tell the truth"

 

[Finman]

-
7 days is a good period. If you keep 10 days, and it comes rainy days, you are late.

 

[andy-glide]

I had the same situation of lots of play cups then lots of Queen cells.

Took the advice of reverting to 3 day inspections and today found a sealed QC.

Performed an artificial swarm but this should have realy done last weekend when I found unsealed cells.

Do all think this very late spring and bumper rape season (at least for me) is to blame for a sudden desire to leave the nest?

 

[MuswellMetro]

"this is what I cant understand: we check 14 days ago all hives doing well building up just some old play cups then on Sat every hive had sealed QC "

What is there not to understand? We are in peak swarming season and you leave hives 10 days (or was it 14) between inspections. QCs are sealed at day 8.

Recipe for swarms. Inspection periods at this time should be no less frequent than weekly. Many would say check every 5 days at high risk period.

Totally agree with you Dr Stitson, what book are they reading!!!!

 

[lievanation]

I have the same problem. So do my 2 bee buddies. We have all split our hives, then more queen cells appear. Only one hive has swarmed. All 3 of my original hives are strong I now have 4 hives and 2 nucs. My buddy now has 4 hives and 4 nucs. At least our training apiary is going to get restocked after loosing half the hives over the winter!

 

[drstitson]

splits don't dampen swarm fever. you need to break the bees-queen-brood triangle. that's what a proper AS does.