What a disaster

[TwoHiveNovice]

So, I was doing a final check on my nucleus hives today. What a complete hash I made of it. Couldn't find the queen in one so thought I'd give it a second go, still no queen but saw a few eggs so thought ok, leave it alone, give it a tidy up and stick the lid on. The feking lid wasn't going down so took it off, wiggled the frames and still wasn't fitting properly. Bloody bees all over the place, I decided just put it on as best I can. Next hive, again no queen but eggs, then all the sudden. I spotted her walking on the floor of the nuc. I lifted out one frame because it was in the wrong position, put it back and I see the queen crawling on top of the lid. Now I'm confused where did she come from? The hive I was having issues with putting the lid on or the hive I'm in now? Stick her in a queen clip to be on the safe side and did a quick look through. Decided she must be from the nuc I'm working in so put her back. Now it's just pandemonium, feking bees all over, some scrapping and brawling.

Just one of those times when you think stop,l before you make a bad situation worse and then doubt yourself because you made a complete and utter hash of things.

**** afternoon, totally gutted, need to go back tomorrow and tidy up a bit I think.

Please tell me other people have bad days at the apiary.....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Please tell me other people have bad days at the apiary.....

Yes. I used to panic a lot. If you’ve put the wrong queen in then likely one will survive and you can unite them. If the hives are secure I’d wait three days then have a look.

 

[B_north]

Yup a cock up of a combine. put the newspaper on, the box on top, found the queen in the hive I am moving and put her in a clip to dispatch or put into a small nuc incase things went sideways. I hadn't decided yet. Popped all the frames into the upper box with angry bees everywhere, their hive had gone. Before I put on the lid I set the queen clip on top of the frames in order to pick up a partially filled frame that had fallen over on the ground, and the comb broke leaking honey, I did not want to start a robbing frenzy. I picked up the clip and she was gone!!!!!! Into the hive? on the ground? I knew not where, I tried to see if she was back in the top box but everyone was angry with me by this time so I closed it all up and walked away. I felt a right idiot, but decided to let them sort out who lived and who died if she was back in the box and hoped that they both didn't perish.

Why does it all sound so friggin easy when the experts explain the process?

 

[enrico]

The very first lesson to learn ( and please don't take this as a criticism) is that you should think why you are going into the bees? Once you have an answer as to why you need to open them at all then do what you need to do to get an answer to that question. then don't do anything else other than close them up.
I am not inspecting any of my bees at this time of the year. If you kill the queen this late in the season then you are really out of luck. But.....you have done what you have done and... Yes we all have disasters. Follow what erichalfbee (Dani) says. Bees are defensive at this time of the year at the best of times and IF they have lost the queen you may find they are even worse. I would leave for five days. Go in again and only look for eggs.as soon as you find any close up and be thankful you have a queen in there

 

[masterBK]

Queen clips are a menace especially the plastic ones. You can kill queens trying to get them in there in the first place and, as you found out, they can easily open and let them out. Years ago put queen in clip and put clip in bee suit top pocket to keep her warm but she got out and was running around in the pocket not easy to catch. I use hair curler cage with foam stopper these days or put frame she is on temporarily in 3 frame nuc box

 

[aj180949]

I had a similar situation. Tried to put the queen into one hive entrance, she refused to go in. I realized the problem and put her at the other hive entrance - she almost jumped in. She knew where she belonged. Trust the bees.

 

[Darryl]

So, I was doing a final check on my nucleus hives today. What a complete hash I made of it. Couldn't find the queen in one so thought I'd give it a second go, still no queen but saw a few eggs so thought ok, leave it alone, give it a tidy up and stick the lid on. The feking lid wasn't going down so took it off, wiggled the frames and still wasn't fitting properly. Bloody bees all over the place, I decided just put it on as best I can. Next hive, again no queen but eggs, then all the sudden. I spotted her walking on the floor of the nuc. I lifted out one frame because it was in the wrong position, put it back and I see the queen crawling on top of the lid. Now I'm confused where did she come from? The hive I was having issues with putting the lid on or the hive I'm in now? Stick her in a queen clip to be on the safe side and did a quick look through. Decided she must be from the nuc I'm working in so put her back. Now it's just pandemonium, feking bees all over, some scrapping and brawling.

Just one of those times when you think stop,l before you make a bad situation worse and then doubt yourself because you made a complete and utter hash of things.

**** afternoon, totally gutted, need to go back tomorrow and tidy up a bit I think.

Please tell me other people have bad days at the apiary.....

Sounds like a normal inspection day for me ......... I do have quite a few calm and orderly ones too.

 

[Hachi]

If you vow to be a beekeeper then when You get knocked down 7 times...... you get up 8!!!

 

[Nige.Coll]

Got home the other week and sat down, still in my bee suit.
Felt something crawling on my neck and brushed it off.
It was an unmarked queen, no idea where from as I had just looked through 20 nucs.
She survived the walk to the van and the drive home.
Ended up making up another nuc for her.
Earlier this year I gave a nuc to a couple, 2 weeks later it was queenless. Took another nuc over to replace it took the lid off and found the queen dead, trapped between the lid and top bars. Third queen is laying well and happy as larry.

With beekeeping the book of mistakes is huge and the book of victories very thin.

 

[TwoHiveNovice]

The very first lesson to learn ( and please don't take this as a criticism) is that you should think why you are going into the bees? Once you have an answer as to why you need to open them at all then do what you need to do to get an answer to that question. then don't do anything else other than close them up.
I am not inspecting any of my bees at this time of the year. If you kill the queen this late in the season then you are really out of luck. But.....you have done what you have done and... Yes we all have disasters. Follow what erichalfbee (Dani) says. Bees are defensive at this time of the year at the best of times and IF they have lost the queen you may find they are even worse. I would leave for five days. Go in again and only look for eggs.as soon as you find any close up and be thankful you have a queen in there

Great advice

 

[TwoHiveNovice]

Sounds like a normal inspection day for me ......... I do have quite a few calm and orderly ones too.

I do sometimes think I'm the Benny Hill of Beekeeping