Today's Inspection

[FreeFall]

I took advantage of the warmish afternoon and lack of wind to have a good look in my hive this afternoon. I took a few photographs with my phone, and I know how people like pics

1. Is this 'bursting with bees'? It's the deep brood under the shallow brood (which had a similar density of bees in it). I hear the term but I don't have anything to compare it against, only being in my 2nd year with one hive. They were pretty thick over the comb, forming 'chains' when I removed the frames. They are just coming up to 7 good frames of brood down here, plus 3 shallow frames upstairs.

2. The second pic shows queen cups. I found about 10 - 15 of these in total, across the bottom of the middle frames in the upper box. None that I could see had either eggs or larvae in them. Check again in 7 days I think, right? The mush on the right side of the pic I think was drone brood, not QCs, it was between the frames and so broke away when I removed the top box.

3. Not swarmed yet as here is my 2011 queen - first time I have seen her this year!

4. A new frame of honey. This was a drawn comb mid-March. Hoping for a lot more of that!


Nick

 

[REDWOOD]

Nice pictures bees looking good no varroa seen, I would check those play cups in 5 days rather than 7 days

 

[FreeFall]

Thanks, I'm really pleased they are looking healthy. They went into winter with a high mite load (due to my ignorance no doubt) but I gave them 50 ml of oxalic acid first week of January and that really looks to have done the trick. I had the tray in last week and saw 2 mites in 7 days.

Now to keep them that way...

Nick

 

[Excession]

Very nice pics.

 

[Chris B]

1. Is this 'bursting with bees'?

At the risk of stating the obvious, "bursting with bees" to me would be a colony not provided with sufficient space, a significant trigger for swarming. Yours don't look cramped yet but that will change quickly with all that brood hatching. I would give an extra super or even two. Much better to burn up a few pounds of honey heating empty space than to lose half your bees in an early swarm, especially after such a promising start. When it comes to swarming, prevention is better than cure.

 

[Luminos]

Lovely photos, wish my phone took such good pics

 

[Suzi Q]

Hi, it could be just a trick with the light, but is there an egg in the top right cup, picture 2?
Yes, just enhanced the pic, it does look very egg-like.

 

[Swarm]

No.

 

[Susan1]

Fab pictures.

 

[Mike a]

I'd call that strong for brood and half.

Boiling over in my book is exactly as it suggests, take the roof and crown board off and they overflow out the top of the hive chamber and down the sides making it difficult to remove a frame or put the hive back together after an inspection without plenty of smoke or a fine mist spray.

Nice pictures.

 

[beeno]

Hi Nick,
Listen to your bees. You have raised the question. In my opinion they will be off shortly. AS ASAP especially with one colony. Otherwise you will end up like me beeless. Good luck!

 

[itma]

...
1. Is this 'bursting with bees'? It's the deep brood under the shallow brood (which had a similar density of bees in it). ... They are just coming up to 7 good frames of brood down here, plus 3 shallow frames upstairs.
...

I'd say it looks to be getting full. Maybe not overfull, yet!

I don't think you mentioned how much empty comb remains, below the excluder. Shouldn't do any harm to give them another super. Especially if you will be asking them to draw new comb, better to go on earlier rather than later!

 

[FreeFall]

Thanks for the replies everyone, really helpful.

I don't think you mentioned how much empty comb remains, below the excluder. Shouldn't do any harm to give them another super. Especially if you will be asking them to draw new comb, better to go on earlier rather than later!

I don't have an excluder on at the moment, just brood+half. I did actually take some detailed notes for a change and this is what I have (need type this up anyway so I can enter it in BeeTight)...

=======
Bottom box (deep)

1. Drone cells, small amount of capped worker brood, drawn comb
2. BIAS, 50% full
3. BIAS 100%
4. BIAS 90% - QUEEN
5. BIAS 90%
6. BIAS 80%
7. BIAS 60%
8. BIAS 80%
9. Honey / Pollen 80%
10. Honey / Pollen 10%, drawn comb

Top box (shallow)

1. Honey 95%
2. Honey 90%
3. Capped brood 15%
4. BIAS 15%
5. Q cups, brood 10%
6. Q cups, brood 10%
7. Q cups, brood 10%
8. Honey/pollen

At this point the wind picked up from the North and temps dropped, so closed up.

At my previous inspection the top box was crammed full of capped brood, which have now emerged, so I think HM will probably be OK for space when she moves back upstairs (?).

It's cold here at the moment but clear and sunny, they are out foraging already though. If the wind drops mid-afternoon I may go and take another quick peek at the frames with Q cups on. The weather next week doesn't look too promising. I may put a super on as well, just in case.

I'd like to make some increase this year (only one colony at the moment) and I have some extra kit (3 full WBCs and a ply nuc box), really need to order some frames though . I'm going to buy a poly nuc or two as well and would ideally have 2 hives and a nuc or two going into winter. I'm not worried about maximising honey yield. I know that it's been discussed many times already, so I'm off to research simple AS techniques - so at least I have some options in mind if I do find charged cells this afternoon.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[FreeFall]

Didn't open up yesterday as temps stayed below 10° and there was a viscous northerly gusting. Wind has swung back round to SW now and this looks like the best we'll get all week, so thinking I will have a quick check and then add super regardless later this afternoon - don't really think I have much choice, better a few chilled brood than half the hive and HM disappearing the first warm day we have, right?

 

[burren]

Hurry up and order your frames - TODAY!

 

[FreeFall]

OK, so I did have a look around 2 PM. The queen cups are looking the same as they did on Friday, nothing in them that I could see. I did have a bit of a panic when I saw this in the pic but I think (hope!) that this is the damaged drone comb from last inspection that they have repaired.

Hurry up and order your frames - TODAY!

Thanks for that! I have been procrastinating. Just off to look now for the best place to get 100 DN4 and 100 SN4, plus foundation. And pins. Oh , and a full suit... and I expect I'll find something else while I'm browsing! Not cheap this lark is it?


Nick

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

Cups and Q cells

Ive got a similar problem also, I think with the warm weathertheyve built up rapidly now to bursting point, I cant find the Q shes not marked and mine are on a double brood and its about to burst out. I'm thinking of splitting the boxes to make two hives, the Q will be in one so will allow the other to make there own Q, or ill requeen the colony with a bought in Q. What do you think.

Dave W

 

[FreeFall]

What do you think.
Dave W

My first thought was whether there may be some weaker colonies that you could donate some bees to. I then wondered whether you wanted to make increase this year or not. Then I pondered exactly where in the UK you might be to have double brood ready to burst in April and what your propensity was to indulge in a little queen rearing


Then I remembered that I'm supposed to be ordering some new frames! (sorry burren, I'll get right on it).