IPMoody
New Bee
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2010
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Bristol
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 1 (and a nuc!)
The 6-frame nuc I obtained 5 weeks ago is (I think) is going great guns. The remaining frames downstairs have been drawn out and are full and the super is filling up very fast (about 8 frames at various stages - one or two starting to get capped off).
Two weeks ago I discovered one (what Mr Hooper calls) incipient queen cell, with no egg in it. I removed it, but found one last week (removed) and one again yesterday, all with nothing in it.
Chatting with my local association 'mentor', we chatted about adding another brood box or creating a nuc, his (and my at the time) preference being the nuc option. Doing some surfing when I got home, I've found most opinion seems to be again forcing emergency queen cells and not many advocating splitting such a young hive. Whilst an 'insurance policy' would be good, I'm also worrired about overwintering a nuc and a new (weakened) colony; should I concentrate on strengthening my colony by adding another brood box?
I'm all ears...
Two weeks ago I discovered one (what Mr Hooper calls) incipient queen cell, with no egg in it. I removed it, but found one last week (removed) and one again yesterday, all with nothing in it.
Chatting with my local association 'mentor', we chatted about adding another brood box or creating a nuc, his (and my at the time) preference being the nuc option. Doing some surfing when I got home, I've found most opinion seems to be again forcing emergency queen cells and not many advocating splitting such a young hive. Whilst an 'insurance policy' would be good, I'm also worrired about overwintering a nuc and a new (weakened) colony; should I concentrate on strengthening my colony by adding another brood box?
I'm all ears...