Trial frame anyone?

[Queens59]

HI,

I am in East Devon and urgently need a trial frame...is there anyone local that can help?

Many thanks,
Sarah

 

[darrenperrett]

Where in East Devon are you ?

I think i might be to far away for you as i`m not far from Bude on the west coast.

Darren

 

[Firegazer]

And I guess Darren's frames wouldn't fit?

Queens59, do you need a standard National frame?

(apologies I can't help - too far away and Langstroth frames and only 2 building nuc colonies)

FG

 

[darrenperrett]

I`ve got one colony in standard national brood chamber at the moment but sods law, if i promise someone a test frame, it`ll have gone Q- since i looked last week.

Darren.

 

[Queens59]

I'm near Ottery, 12 miles East of Exeter, on WBC using National frames. My lovely girls are now Kamikaze attackers - and I haven't found the Q in 3 weeks - can't get too good a look in the hive as they start dive-bombing the second the hive is open!

 

[darrenperrett]

If there`s no-one closer I`ll pop you down a test frame next week if anyone knows how i can keep a frame warm in a motorbike pannier for a couple of hours.

Darren.

 

[oliver90owner]

Just eggs then, as they are a little hardier than recently hatched brood!

Couple 2l coke bottles of warm water in a well insulated container? Run a light bulb in there (careful with that one!)? lots of layers of newspaper as a good insulant.... Can you get a nuc, complete with bees, in your pannier? Go on a warm (no, hot) day

Just a few possible solutions, must be a few others.

Regards, RAB

 

[darrenperrett]

What about wrapping the frame in a sheet of damp newspaper to keep the humidity up, a couple of hot water bottles, and a bit of foam for padding ?
or i could just pick up fish & chips on the way

Darren

 

[jimbeekeeper]

I haven't found the Q in 3 weeks -

I assume you are not just looking for the queen?

 

[HighlandWozza]

Excuse my ignorance. What is a test / trial frame? What purpose does it serve? Thanks.

 

[Poly Hive]

Two things here.

Wrapped in a warm damp towel they will travel fine (in my experience a good three hours)

A test frame shows by providing suitable material to a questionable colony for it to demonstrate by either raising or not raising queen cells whether it is queenless or not.

I refer you to: http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/search.php?searchid=296538

Regards

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Excuse my ignorance. What is a test / trial frame? What purpose does it serve? Thanks.

ok,

Queen59 thinks he has lost his queen, so one way of finding out is to put in a fresh frame of eggs and young brood from another hive

the queenless hive will make a new queen cells to make a new qeen ( called a scrub Queen) by feeding extra royal jelly and enlarging the small normal cells into a queen cell for about six newly hatched eggs on the inserted test frame

if they dont make a new Queen cells, then that normally means they have a Queen already (or a newly hatched virgin queen)

 

[Hivemaker.]

MM they are not scrub queens...with a little selection they are equally as good as any other queen,certainly better than using swarm cells.

 

[Queens59]

A trial frame is when you are pretty certain you are Q-. If you have a queen they will just look after the frame, if you are Q- they will form QC to create one.

I assume you are not just looking for the queen?
Hi Jim, No - between being dive bombed/frequently stung I tried to spot unmarked Q or egg/larva. Def. no larve/eggs but plenty sealed brood, and frames so manic couldn't spot anything useful. No obvious QC or sim anywhere either.

If there`s no-one closer

Thank-you Darren! That is so kind of you - I have left an urgent message with the nuc. supplier - just hope he isn't on holiday. I'll be in touch if I can't sort a local answer - but I truly appreciate that you would do that for me - Beeks rule!

 

[susbees]

Excuse my ignorance. What is a test / trial frame? What purpose does it serve? Thanks.

To find out whether a hive is definitely queenless...not just hiding a virgin or queen off lay for whatever reason who will kill a replacement. Obviously if no eggs then after a while the chances of a hive making a new queen stops. Then laying workers ramp up and the whole thing becomes a mess. Only drone brood. End of story if left long enough

So, simplest thing is to take a bee-less frame of eggs from good stock and stick it in the suspect hive. A good queen can then be made from a new larva. If nothing happens then there IS a queen of some sort already and decisions can be made to replace her or if a virgin wait for her to prove her laying abilities.