What a day !

[BrianO]

Out late last night, awake at 6 up at 7.30 up to my allotment hive only hived 3 weeks ago.

Frames in brood box not sitting on metal runner as they should be, ( during chaos of getting first Nuc driving 250 miles in one day to collect and then hiving them up stupidly forgot to fit them ) so every inspection since has been a struggle to prise the lugs after they have been propolised stuck! Runners to fit next inspection.

Anyway found capped queen cell and 4 others uncapped but with larvae in R.Jelly
Broke them down and found marked clipped queen

Then mistake no 2 , smoker ran out of fuel with three glued propolised frames to check, boy did they get angry, even copped a sting to the finger thru my leather gloves, yes yes know serves me right !

Then home into car and drove 120 miles to pick up an established hive ( going onto convent grounds and want to be able to repay them with honey this year ) and a Nuc , back to setup this new apiary, cut grass, setup hive stand, put up fence.

Knackered !!

Time for a Beer !

 

[BrianO]

Question, advised as above that I should take out this queen, as " bound to leave soon " so advised to remove her with a frame of brood and good shale of bees to Nuc box, leaving one queen cell, on next inspection on finding more queen cells?

What does anyone think ?

 

[enrico]

Sounds like you need to artificially swarm them pronto!
E

 

[Teemore]

G'day Brian,
Moving the laying Queen to a Nuc is a variation on an artificial swarm (A/S). You have the benefit of a second apiary to which you can move that Nuc and can either develop it as another colony or, once you have a new laying queen, unite it back to the other colony. If you are only giving a single frame of brood and an extra shake of bees to the Nuc, you might need to dummy down the Nuc to three frames initially and then add extra frames as it builds up. Just be aware that a good laying queen can fill a Nuc rather quickly!! If you have drawn frames to give the Nuc this will help them build up also.

Make sure there are no queen cells on the frame the Queen is on when you transfer her to the Nuc. When you move the Queen, check through the parent hive for QCs. Pick one you know to contain a healthy looking larva (ie an unsealed one into which you can see) and break down the remainder. At your next inspection, check no additional QCs have been built. Be careful not to shake or otherwise damage the queen cell you left in place.

 

[beeno]

Hi BrianO,
Please be aware that when you tear down QCs, they often make others pronto and it can be as little as three days for the next sealed QC to be built...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sounds like you need to artificially swarm them pronto!
E

if they want to go they can catchyou out now by using a 3 day old larva so you won't have seven days to catchthem before the next inspection.

G'day Brian,
Moving the laying Queen to a Nuc is a variation on an artificial swarm (A/S). You have the benefit of a second apiary to which you can move that Nuc .

Went to a talk on swarming last year and an interesting point was made - it is more or less accepted now that it's the flying bees that instigate swarming (hence the mechanics of the Pagden) by moving the queen three miles away in a nuc with bees, you haven't changed the situation in there - queen, brood, not much room and remaining flying bees will stay with nuc and may still press the 'swarm' button'.
By keeping the nuc in the same apiary the flying bees will return to mother (Q-) hive leaving the queen merrily carrying on building a new colony.The theory was presented after observations of nucs being moved three miles and still swarming.
Food for thought?

 

[BrianO]

Thanks very Much for the replies All.

So I need to recheck probably tomorrow Tuesday after having discovered the cells on my usual Sunday inspection.

Then I should remove Queen on full brood frame and put her in a dummied down Nuc over 3' away in same apiary. You are saying the flying bees will leave and return to existing hive that I will have left one good queen cell in , and queen in dummied down nuc will have some house bees to take care of her ??

So to ensure she has enough house bees that have not yet orientated themselves/left the hive should I also put in a good shake of bees when I put her into her new Nuc ? would I need to feed ? How , as nuc boxes I have do not have feeders ?

Thanks.

 

[leonotron]

What kind of nuc box is it? Does it have any kind of feed hole you could use with syrup in an inverted jar and using a home made eke?

 

[BrianO]

Hi Leon

Nuc type, cobbled together type .

Think will bite the bullett and go buy a poly Nuc. from Paul Bee supplies, assuming this will allow me the option of feeding

Thanks

Brian

 

[drex]

Yes add some nurse bees to the nuc. You can also add a frame of stores or use frame feeder

 

[BrianO]

Thanks

Will takle that tomorrow, great resource this, now as a result of really helpfull replies have a definite plan of action.

Thanks again.

 

[leonotron]

Nuc type, cobbled together type .
Think will bite the bullett and go buy a poly Nuc. from Paul Bee supplies, assuming this will allow me the option of feeding

I made a nuc when Paul wasn't answering the phone back in May. Transferred it into a poly last weekend. The poly nucs are pretty good. €40 isn't a bad price either.
Tinkered with the one I made myself. Added an open mesh floor and made an eke so I can feed them through a hole I drilled in the perspex crown board.