Things are not going as planned

[hotdog]

I opened up one of my hives today to find a virgin queen being chased around by workers, the hive still as some capped queen cells which I do not want to destroy as it looks as though they are not happy with their current Monarch. I have taken nucs off of all 3 hives but all 3 now have no laying queens and one swarmed last week even though the original queen was only taken out a couple of weeks ago. This is my third year of beekeeping and I can honestly say this year they have made me realise its not as easy as I thought. Is anyone having similar issues?

 

[SimonB]

Similar issues, no, but I concur that things aren't going as planned!

 

[Poly Hive]

First lesson then in beekeeping.

It never goes as planned.

PH

 

[Skyhook]

I opened up one of my hives today to find a virgin queen being chased around by workers, the hive still as some capped queen cells which I do not want to destroy as it looks as though they are not happy with their current Monarch.

When a new virgin emerges she is pretty much ignored by the workers, they then get gradually more and more aggressive towards her- probably a way of getting her to go on her mating flight.

 

[Finman]

I opened up one of my hives today to find a virgin queen being chased around by workers, the hive still as some capped queen cells which I do not want to destroy as it looks as though they are not happy QUOTE]

Yes, they are going to swarm. This goes just like bees have planned.

You are hurry to make false swarm if you want to keep your bees.

A human makes plans and a human may change the plan.

Things go seldom as they have planned. You must be ready allways to take lines to your hands when things try to go to its own way.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If you have capped queencells and a virgin, the natural instinct is for the virgin to swarm. That's why they are chasing her about I would expect. Remove the queencells and you remove the problem.

Option is to pull the queens if they are ready (i.e. open them up) and let the queens decide themselves. A queen won't swarm if there are no queencells even if there are several queens so says Ted Hooper.

 

[Finman]

If you have capped queencells and a virgin, the natural instinct is for the virgin to swarm. That's why they are chasing her about I would expect. Remove the queencells and you remove the problem.

Option is to pull the queens if they are ready (i.e. open them up) and let the queens decide themselves. A queen won't swarm if there are no queencells even if there are several queens so says Ted Hooper.

That advice I do not understand. "Many queens but not queencells". Of course they swarm. If they will not swarm, they brake the queencells.

When the hive has virgin and queencells, it says that they are in swarming fever. They do not work, but they wait for swarming. You may do to cells and queens what evere but motivate to work ...

To motivate to work is to give what they want: artificial swarm. They draw foundations and they believe that they have made a new hive.

When the virgin has mated, they have again opportunity to swarm.

.

 

[Ely]

I am so glad all I have to look after at the moment is a growing nuc. This stuff sounds very hard. One thing I have a problem with, how do you keep a track on what they are doing by only opening a hive once week? That's what I've been doing for 10 mins a time, it doesn't seem nearly long or often enough to get to know the hive

 

[nelletap]

Hotdog I am just amazed you must have had two years when it did go as planned to remark in your 3rd year that something did not. I am about 10 months in and have learnt that what is inside the hive is rarely what I expect!
Tricia

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I am so glad all I have to look after at the moment is a growing nuc. This stuff sounds very hard. One thing I have a problem with, how do you keep a track on what they are doing by only opening a hive once week? That's what I've been doing for 10 mins a time, it doesn't seem nearly long or often enough to get to know the hive

There are only a few things that need checking and if all is well, then they can be left alone.
Is there a queen (eggs will do as you don't have to see her each week)
Is there enough food
Is there enough space
Is there disease
Are there queencells.

If you obtained a nuc with this years queen then you should not expect to see a swarm although it could happen. I hope you have spare equipment just in case?

 

[Poly Hive]

Ely?

One nuc times ten minutes a week is not a great deal of experience as you are finding out.

Try and find someone, not as a mentor but someone with say 20+ colonies who will let you observe as they work their boxes. That is the way to get the experience which you cannot possibly get on your own.

PH

 

[susbees]

Ely?

One nuc times ten minutes a week is not a great deal of experience as you are finding out.

Try and find someone, not as a mentor but someone with say 20+ colonies who will let you observe as they work their boxes. That is the way to get the experience which you cannot possibly get on your own.

PH

Agreed. And learn to watch yours from the outside. Get a copy of Storch to get you started.

 

[Ely]

Ok thanks...licking my wounds at the moment as today was inspection day. This is the 3rd inspection, both previous inspections I observed the bees and inspected as if they didn't know I was there. This time they had it in for me, stung 3 times despite full protection...the first time I have ever been stung at all.

On a possitive note, they seem to have expanded the colony dramatically over the last week, maybe due to rain for flowers which we have been short of.

Can you expect more stings/aggresion from a colony as they increase in numbers as they have more troops to deploy? Lets say, an early nuc compared to a bigger colony? I suppose the bigger the colony, the more chance of being stung. I'm just wondering about the oveall temperment of the colony

It seemed like there were a lot of bees focused on me and not working the cells this time. Do you think it is because they ahve a bigger guarding force due to expansion which they may not have had previously?

 

[tonybloke]

did you inspect them early this morning, Simon?
inspections are usually better @ mid-day, when a lot of the foragers are out and about.
also, it was a bit overcast this morning, this also doesn't improve their behaviour.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

With new beekeepers I think a lot more can be learnt from not opening the hive to much and concentrating more on whats going on at the entrance.
You can tell when a flow is on just by the smell and also the number of bees fanning in the evening. In a heavy flow a trickle of water can be seen coming out of the entrance.
if workers flop down when arriving home thats a good indication of a flow, pollen colour will also indicate the source they are working on.
Five minutes looking at the entrance is preferable to opening up the hive too frequently, but I know when I first started keeping bees I just loved to open them up just to have a look.

 

[Ely]

Cheers Tony, I inspected 7.30pm

 

[Poly Hive]

When most of the troops are home... sorry to say but if you keep bees you ARE going to get stung. I could reminise happily for hours about how many stings I took in a day and the tale of the dog licking them out of my gloves.. but life is too short....

PH

 

[Ely]

Hehe. I'm not bothered about being stung. Just out for any advise really. Finished the inspection today, midday. They have spread over 8 frames now Tony, all brood except Two small corners on frames for stores. I think I need to feed. Although I'm not sure.