Steep learning curve

[Drinkstone]

Heres what happened today in the sunshine..........by the way its raining again!
I first opened up the new hive which is home to the bees that swarmed from one of the others a couple of weeks ago. I had placed a feeder on this hive above the brood box, no super. Half of the syrup had been taken and I therefore removed the feeder as it has been in place for a week. I went through the brood box and noted that all activity was confined to one side on four or five frames. The activity appears to my untrained eye to be the drawing out of comb, I did see the queen. The bees looked again to my untrained eye to be content but certainly not half a colony.

Next I opened the hive that had swarmed and the amount of bees confirmed that not half had gone when they swarmed. This hive consists of a brood box and one super, they are busy in the brood box but I felt that I did not know what I was looking for! I saw some pollen and some sealed cells but they looked old to me. There seemed to be a lot of clear liquid dropping as I removed the frames, so I inspected in such a way as to stop this liquid dropping. Again healthy and active also seemed content. The queen cells left on a previous inspection were empty.

Last came the one that did not swarm (yet) this I had previously felt was crowded and had added another brood box and one super. The new brood box has some activity mainly confined to drawing out comb ,I expect this is due to being confined to barracks which must slow things down. When I got to the original brood box I went through about half the frames and could see no sign of new queen cells. Bees to me seem happy and content they certainly were not angry. I felt that I had been annoying them long enough and closed up.

As you will have gathered my concern is my own lack of knowledge in the absence of my mentor who is on holiday. I did note that not having seen a bee all day in or near my office at the other end of the garden, three bees came in the office on my return! They were not in the least aggressive and when Christine opened the window for them they went off happily.

I hope thing went well for you all today and would welcome any comment or advice you feel able to give.

 

[Cazza]

Hi Drinkstone
Still raining today in Suffolk!
Just two minor observations:
The clear liquid is most likely to be nectar which is runny and will tip out of cells if they are turned over.
When you added brood and super frames, were they just foundation? If so, two at once in this weather may have been a little ambitious.

I am quite jealous that you were able to look yesterday, sadly I was away from home and unable to take advantage of the sun.
Cazza

 

[drstitson]

i think the only dropping clear liquid that many have experienced over the last few weeks is rain rather than nectar!!!!

 

[enrico]

I'm a bit concerned that you have stopped feeding the new hive.... They are obviously drawing foundation out. Where I am there will be no flying for a while..... If it was my hive I would continue to feed that hive until the comb was drawn out more!
E

 

[susbees]

I'm a bit concerned that you have stopped feeding the new hive.... They are obviously drawing foundation out. Where I am there will be no flying for a while..... If it was my hive I would continue to feed that hive until the comb was drawn out more!
E

Ditto. Warmth and food needed atm. I have full colonies who were in winter cluster Sunday.

Also, two weeks worth of newly hatched bees in the original hive....could be a lot of bees...

 

[oliver90owner]

...comment or advice...

Why were you inspecting. No reason; don't do it!

You have two swarmed colonies which simply need leaving alone. apart from checking for stores. Nothing you can do about anything else. With the total absence of protein in the swarmed colony, I would be surprised if there is more than minimal brooding and the other will have a virgin queen by now which needs to be left unmolested until mated.

Your other colony should have had an extra brood box below the current one and nothing else.

For May, in England, the situation for many colonies is dire. This is not the weather we would expect for the last month - and March was unseasonally the opposite way. At this time one would expect copious honey stores and more than enough pollen for a few days inclement weather, should it occur. Unprecedented, I would think, in living memory.

Interfering with the bees without reason, or excessively, will certainly not help their plight. Minimum intervention to check for silly swarming and asessing stores is enough.

RAB

 

[Hivemaker.]

For May, in England, the situation for many colonies is dire.

And the official weather guessers are forcasting the coldest May for a hundred years.