- Joined
- May 31, 2018
- Messages
- 255
- Reaction score
- 82
- Location
- Dingle
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 8
Today I went to perform the second step in the Wally shaw method. I can find no eggs and no sign of the queen in the original hive.
The a/s side had produced 4 small sealed qc's which I had already destroyed before moving to the original hive to find the queen.
So I assume that I lost the queen during the first manipulation. In the original hive there were quite a few queen cells torn down through the side of the cell, and 2 that could in theory have had virgins emerge. The bees in this hive were calm.
So I have 1 queen less hive, and 1 hive that either has the original queen who isn't laying or a virgin/newly mated queen.
So, advice please on what to do with the a/s side? I have no spare qc's but do have options to unite with a hive at this apiary or a hive at another apiary.
Hive at this apiary was on owerwintered nuc that was a bit slow to build up but now seems ok, but they could use the extra foragers. They have 7 frames of brood, box is not too full of bees.
Hive at the other apiary was my own small prime swarm, now houses for several weeks, queen laying happily, covering 5 frames, could move them to the A/S or vice versa.
Would it be better to move the a/s to a new apiary?
The a/s side had produced 4 small sealed qc's which I had already destroyed before moving to the original hive to find the queen.
So I assume that I lost the queen during the first manipulation. In the original hive there were quite a few queen cells torn down through the side of the cell, and 2 that could in theory have had virgins emerge. The bees in this hive were calm.
So I have 1 queen less hive, and 1 hive that either has the original queen who isn't laying or a virgin/newly mated queen.
So, advice please on what to do with the a/s side? I have no spare qc's but do have options to unite with a hive at this apiary or a hive at another apiary.
Hive at this apiary was on owerwintered nuc that was a bit slow to build up but now seems ok, but they could use the extra foragers. They have 7 frames of brood, box is not too full of bees.
Hive at the other apiary was my own small prime swarm, now houses for several weeks, queen laying happily, covering 5 frames, could move them to the A/S or vice versa.
Would it be better to move the a/s to a new apiary?
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