Fatbee
Field Bee
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Messages
- 626
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 7
Four days over due a weekly inspection due to the weather and what did I find in the roof of my hive when I lifted it off......about a 3 inch writhing mass of bees on top of a snelgrove Board that I had been using as a cover board ready for use and some drawn comb on the roof. And there in the middle of it all was my marked queen from below.
One of the top gates on the Snelgrove Board was open a smidgen (bee space or two) so I can only think that they perhaps had clustered nearby but the weather sent them back but they went back up through the gap between the roof and brood box and then in through the gate in to the void when it was filthy wet yesterday. Down below there were less bees, no visible queen or eggs and some sealed QCs so I'm sure that they did come from below there. They ignored the bait hive in the apiary with loads of space and chose a very cramped space!
Anyway, hopefully all will end well and they are now in a fresh brood box with some drawn comb and foundation - they were fanning the entrance well so I hope they stick around. Thinned the QCs in the orignal box below to one - willing to take a punt that's its viable, prefer that to a cast because not looking for increase.
Seems like for this particularly apiary the time has come, with a Modified Snelgrove II done on one hive with open QCs and a Demaree on the other that's just behind strength wise.
Got to love the beekeeping - always thrown a curve ball!
One of the top gates on the Snelgrove Board was open a smidgen (bee space or two) so I can only think that they perhaps had clustered nearby but the weather sent them back but they went back up through the gap between the roof and brood box and then in through the gate in to the void when it was filthy wet yesterday. Down below there were less bees, no visible queen or eggs and some sealed QCs so I'm sure that they did come from below there. They ignored the bait hive in the apiary with loads of space and chose a very cramped space!
Anyway, hopefully all will end well and they are now in a fresh brood box with some drawn comb and foundation - they were fanning the entrance well so I hope they stick around. Thinned the QCs in the orignal box below to one - willing to take a punt that's its viable, prefer that to a cast because not looking for increase.
Seems like for this particularly apiary the time has come, with a Modified Snelgrove II done on one hive with open QCs and a Demaree on the other that's just behind strength wise.
Got to love the beekeeping - always thrown a curve ball!
