What did you do in the Apiary today?

[StephenT]

Marked some queens, rotated double broods and added supers. Over wintered nucs are full colonies now and will need supering pretty soon.

What’s your criteria for reversing double brood? I've got one hive on double brood. The top box is pretty much full of sealed brood now and the queen is now expanding into what was a fairly empty bottom box. If I were to have reversed, would the best time have been before she started laying up the bottom box?

 

[Swarm]

Similar situation, top boxes mostly laid up but honey arcs as well. Found the queens in the lower boxes, swapped the boxes around so mostly sealed brood and stores are below and now the super is added I keep the brood against the excluder.
Queens go up and work their way down so swapping the boxes around gives her the chance to do that again, it also helps utilise comb for brood expansion, keep providing her with laying space overhead.

 

[StephenT]

Similar situation, top boxes mostly laid up but honey arcs as well. Found the queens in the lower boxes, swapped the boxes around so mostly sealed brood and stores are below and now the super is added I keep the brood against the excluder.
Queens go up and work their way down so swapping the boxes around gives her the chance to do that again, it also helps utilise comb for brood expansion, keep providing her with laying space overhead.

No honey arc in our top box and very limited stores in the brood area. They’re on 2 supers already and are nicely filling them. The top BB is mainly capped and emerging brood which will give her space to move up in over the next week or so. Just need to ensure they don't start filling the brood area with stores. I can't see any point in reversing the BB's in my case. What do you think?

 

[StephenT]

Today I replaced a queen in a poorly performing hive with a Buckfast received a couple of hours ago from Black Mountain Honey. Didn't wait for them to be hopelessly queenless but just took the old queen out and straight in with the new one in the cage with tab left on. Will check in 2 or 3 days and hopefully there will be no EQC's and they are being friendly towards her

 

[Boston Bees]

No honey arc in our top box and very limited stores in the brood area. They’re on 2 supers already and are nicely filling them. The top BB is mainly capped and emerging brood which will give her space to move up in over the next week or so. Just need to ensure they don't start filling the brood area with stores. I can't see any point in reversing the BB's in my case.

Nor can I

I would just make sure they have somewhere to draw fresh wax if they want to

 

[Moobee]

Inspected both colonies today. One is booming in terms of brood but not much in the super yet. The other one is filling a super, 7 frames of brood and 2020 queen still laying well but I squished about a dozen wax moth larvae. I wouldn’t say they’re a weak colony but it seems like a lot of wax moth.
Any thoughts on this? Should I be concerned? Can I do anything?

 

[gregior]

Just inspected 6 of mine- wow! bees doing incredibly well, most have pretty much filled their 1st super (only added 10 days ago) so 2nd supers added. Very good flow on from fruit trees and dandelion. Queens all laying at full pelt and with very nice pattern. A couple had Q cups with eggs in last inspection but just empty cups this time (I reckon they're too busy working to be thinking of swarming at the minute) Bees very docile too. Wish it always went this well!

 

[Murox]

Finally managed to inspection the farm bees this morning; one colony in particular is very strong and has clearly managed to find enough nectar to already be storing even though it only has three to four frames of bias. Pollen aplenty coming in today.

Lost one colony at another site - classic bloomer - can only blame myself for not checking more thoroughly a few weeks ago when the weather warmed up for a while - they had started brooding then got isolated, food just out of their reach when it turned cold again, so sad to see.

 

[Boston Bees]

First charged queen cells of the year found (Yorkshire). 4 or 5 cells, around 5 days old, with plenty of royal jelly in. Nuc'd the queen. Forecast not particularly warm for mating, but at least not wet.

EDIT: Not 100% sure these were swarm cells, given the number of them, and that there were also empty cups on the bottom of frames. But she is laying up a storm, so not sure supercedure either, and all on the bottom of the frame edge. Anyway ..... not worth risking it

 

[Swarm]

Moved the last of the nucs into full hives and marked another couple of queens.

 

[Beedogg]

Inspected today. One colony is set up as a Demaree. Found 2 charged QCs in the top BB and 8 in the lower one. The other two colonies are not (yet) Demaree'd and found 4 charged QCs in one and 1 in the other. Supers all filling fast.

 

[jeff33]

No honey arc in our top box and very limited stores in the brood area. They’re on 2 supers already and are nicely filling them. The top BB is mainly capped and emerging brood which will give her space to move up in over the next week or so. Just need to ensure they don't start filling the brood area with stores. I can't see any point in reversing the BB's in my case. What do you think?

You could demaree this hive?
I have a couple of hives in a similar situation which I will demaree tomorrow.

 

[Do224]

Inspected today. One colony is set up as a Demaree. Found 2 charged QCs in the top BB and 8 in the lower one. The other two colonies are not (yet) Demaree'd and found 4 charged QCs in one and 1 in the other. Supers all filling fast.

When did you perform the demaree? They must have filled that bottom box super quick?

 

[StephenT]

You could demaree this hive?
I have a couple of hives in a similar situation which I will demaree tomorrow.

It’s double brood already so that won't increase space unless I add a 3rd box which seems excessive. I could put the empty frames and emerging brood in the bottom box and everything else in the top one.

 

[Boston Bees]

Inspected today. One colony is set up as a Demaree. Found 2 charged QCs in the top BB and 8 in the lower one.

Isn't 8 cells in the bottom BB exactly what the demaree is meant to avoid? Obviously nothing works 100%, but just asking for info, as haven't done a demaree myself. What did you do in response?

 

[jeff33]

Sorry I misread, I thought your queen had not touch the bottom box. If she has only laid a little in the bottom box I would still be tempted to demaree leaving the bottom box which must have lots of space and placing the top box with as many frames of brood as you can over the supers.

 

[Wilco]

Inspected my client's colonies. Received my Maisemore sale order... And mitigated it a little by some mods to the box. Very happy children!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Didn't wait for them to be hopelessly queenless but just took the old queen out and straight in with the new one in the cage with tab left on

I find that way works best, don't leave it too long before removing the tab though. I find 24 hours is best unless the bees are still particularly contrary

 

[StephenT]

I find that way works best, don't leave it too long before removing the tab though. I find 24 hours is best unless the bees are still particularly contrary

Do you check if they are making EQC’s before taking the tab off or just take it off if the bees are not being aggressive towards her?

 

[Beedogg]

Isn't 8 cells in the bottom BB exactly what the demaree is meant to avoid? Obviously nothing works 100%, but just asking for info, as haven't done a demaree myself. What did you do in response?

Yup. I think I screwed it up. I was too cautious moving frames up. Lessons learned.