robertmote
New Bee
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Guildford
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 1
Can you anyone help me.
I took on a swarm about 4 weeks ago, and hived OK.
After having left them for 3 days I provided feed as the weather was so poor and to enourage them to draw comb and bring the Queen into lay (which see did).
My concern is that the colony is not expanding at the rate I expected, and feel this is in part (at least) due to the very poor level of comb drawing, ie the Queen has nowhere to lay.
At each inspection I find a large pile of wax "crumbs" on the floor of the hive and the level of drawn comb does not appear to have inncreased noticeably. Holes in the foundation are now appearing, ie they are chewing it, but they do not / cannot use it to expand the foundation into drawn comb, or seemingly make their own wax.
Furthermore, the brood that has been layed is not getting capped and its not large in volume)!
Does anyone have any view on the poor comb drawing and high volume of wasted wax (crumbs).
I took on a swarm about 4 weeks ago, and hived OK.
After having left them for 3 days I provided feed as the weather was so poor and to enourage them to draw comb and bring the Queen into lay (which see did).
My concern is that the colony is not expanding at the rate I expected, and feel this is in part (at least) due to the very poor level of comb drawing, ie the Queen has nowhere to lay.
At each inspection I find a large pile of wax "crumbs" on the floor of the hive and the level of drawn comb does not appear to have inncreased noticeably. Holes in the foundation are now appearing, ie they are chewing it, but they do not / cannot use it to expand the foundation into drawn comb, or seemingly make their own wax.
Furthermore, the brood that has been layed is not getting capped and its not large in volume)!
Does anyone have any view on the poor comb drawing and high volume of wasted wax (crumbs).