What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 819]

One has to be proactive with QC's , my preference is to clip lose a Q or a small swarm . Occassionally I may find them in time to nuc them.
The bigger pic is day 14/15 I reduce QC to one and keep a larger foraging force, it is higher risk option that works for me as I don't want increase . 5 -7 colonies is plentiful for me.

 

[user 819]

Ah ok, I thought nucing the queen was necessary to prevent losing a swarm. So it’s ok to reduce to one queen cell and leave the existing queen in the hive if she’s clipped? The new queen will take over when she emerges and the old queen will be killed? Thus creating an enforced supercedure…

I have to say I’m still skeptical as I’ve not heard mention of this technique before…

No one isn't enforcing SS , clipping one is simply saving a loss of big swarm and giving time to deal with the colony. How one deals with said colony is down to ones management style.
For me it can mean a huge colony and 200+ honey harvest when forage is very good.

 

[user 819]

The simplest option is pagden AS or possibly a nuc swarm, both mean increase. Both mean more kit , more colonies and more apiary space needed.
Demeree if one acts before QC's appear.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Made up a nuc today two frames of well capped brood from two nucs and a mating nuc, so the mating nuc frames have been stuck to a frame put in the centre of the nuc either side is empty comb then the two frames of well capped brood and bees of course.
nuc was left on the mating nuc site, I will rearrange the frames tomorrow all brood frames together comb on the out side if you follow?.

The lime flow is very good in Hereford

 

[Wilco]

Ran a large beekeeping experience, split into two sessions to make the groups reasonable. All seemed very happy with one asking about booking a family session over the summer. I'm glad StBK thought they were closing last year and had that big sale! Bees very well behaved- a couple were nucs from twitchy hives with BHP queens put in. Such a change in temperament!

 

[Parsonage Bees]

My number of laying queens has doubled.
Quick check of cast swarm that arrived in bait box, found brood and very orange queen. Unlike my other queens.
And this queen from a pruned out QC looks to have got mated. She emerged in my hand and I cack-handedly marked her on the left eye. Ran her in the entrance of a nuc (#edit 2 weeks ago) that has DLW. I wished her good luck.

 

[Nannysbees]

Why would one of my colonies want to supercede a new queen so quickly after being introduced? Clipped her today. Eggs but not an abundance!!!!!

 

[BugsInABox]

Eggs but not an abundance!!!!!

Could be the answer. Are you sure it’s supercedure?

 

[Nannysbees]

I think so, disappointing though, but I have a queenless hive with a test frame in so I may pop her in there and see what they think of her!!!

 

[user 819]

Give her time to get going first, they don't all roar out of the traps.
Maybe you need to give her time , any QC's made are for insurance and if she starts performing thye may get torn down.
Otherwise they sense she isn't a good un or an intro Q which isn't of their own doing , theycan replace intro's because they can .

 

[user 819]

Checked my three apiary sites today after the rubbish week we have had here.
Two VQ's mated and laying ( not seen) , a third colony tranquil and content waitng for signs of mated Q.
Nectar last ten days has been better, those sparse colonies at least now showing some super stores.
My CBPV colony with same Q from last year have been tetchy so have decided she is for the chop and they will be united at some stage whether I get the chance late Autumn or early spring I will have to see.

My 24F BS deep frame long hive have gone from bee producer to honey producing , new VQ mated and little room to lay as they have gone ballistic since since the Clipped Q went on the 16th/17th. Removed 9 frames 40/45lbs of stores and replaced with FL frames and drawn , new girl has some room now (I did find three patches of E/U on three frames. They still have over 100lbs of stores , once some of it is sealed I can start removing it for extraction. The 40/45lbs of part sealed/unsealed I gave to the clipped mother Q who swarmed.

Monster colony in the garden the Queen has ignored the third BB , bees have drawn out the few FL frames and back filled everything else , looks like it's going to be another 50 -55lbs to extract on top of the 7 supers.
237lbs last year , this year is looking like it might be more.

I have to try and get as much extracted as I can before Aug 20th as I have to have major plumbing surgery done so will be out of action for maybe 10 weeks. Colony after 20th will have to cope until I'm able to work on them again, hoping if a mild late Autumn I will be able to get help to extract any remaining which should by then be down to Double brood and max three or four supers , the flow here in the garden can go on a while if mild and then they bugger about ripening. 260 lbs+ is possibly on the cards before ivy.

 

[user 819]

I haven't split any colonies this year , just relying on my trusted method of hands on monitoring.
Clipped queens and checking /marking one good QC with Larvae before day nine, then removing others bar the marked one at day 14 or 15. I have lost two clipped queens and part of the swarm from poor weather /timing and recovered one due to good timing and weather.
One needs to be adept at ageing /dating cells and inspecting even if the weather is poor to prevent swarms leaving if not carrying out splits.

 

[user 819]

Deleted double post.

 

[Sutty]

I haven't split any colonies this year , just relying on my trusted method of hands on monitoring.
Clipped queens and checking /marking one good QC with Larvae before day nine, then removing others bar the marked one at day 14 or 15. I have lost two clipped queens and part of the swarm from poor weather /timing and recovered one due to good timing and weather.
One needs to be adept at ageing /dating cells and inspecting even if the weather is poor to prevent swarms leaving if not carrying out splits.

So with a clipped queen, and cutting back to one QC you won't lose the bees when they first try to swarm, but don't they continually make more QCs whilst the old queen is present and laying? Do you just go in and remove them before the 1st QC emerges?
Sounds a bit timing-critical for me!

 

[user 819]

It all depends if they are in swarm mode or SS mode, the later it is in the year then SS is more likely if they aren't short of space.
Some will lose late swarms simply because they cram all bees in to a BB too soon then feed or put on awful smelly treatments to which they object to all. My colonies will all still have supers on till mid to end of Sept on top of remaning DB's.
99.9% of the time they swarm on a nine or ten day QC (3e + 6/7day sealed.) , all one has to do before hand once the process is underway is to mark your preferred QC . Once the clipped Q has gone on D9/10 one simply goes in four five days later to leave the pre marked cell so that a new Q will emerge within 36/48hrs , if one has their dates correct.
If one is fortunate one may find only one QC and both Q's will remain in perfesct SS mode until the mother Q dissapears , I suspect most are then ignored and starved or forced out.
If one is sure of dates then it isn't hard , the timing and dating comes with experience and how one manages their bees. I for one have practically given up on splits and expansion past 6 or 7 colonies, my aim is eventually to go down to three or four as I wind down my beekeeping as I get older.
It's a bit of a bugger if you have very swarmy bees who make tens or dozens of cells but with selection one can improve ones lot to have bees who will either SS or make fewer then 6 - 8 cells which makes dealing with them easier.

There are many ways to deal with swarming/ expansion or not , experimenting cna give you other knowledge and ways of dealing with them . One has to be more prexact with timings and datings etc, knowing these are the fundamentals of the Queen replacement an done only needs to be able to count to nine & sixteen.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Set up my latest trap out. The bees are behind the triangular section and emerging on the junction between the chimney and the wall. I didn’t want to fix the box to the wall as I couldn’t inspect it. So it’s hung from a length of angle screwed to the rafters on a rope via pulleys so if can be lowered to inspect.
Box with a mesh cone screwed to the chimney to work as a one way valve.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Swarm preps on two single brood colony’s today both have three supers a piece which are pretty much all capped.
Nuced both queens (4 frames ) each, I’ve then slit the remaining two single brood into two 6 frame nucs and used two of my mated queens.
Bait hives 15-30 metres away from an apiary are good because when I turned up at the apiary there was three scout bees looking at one of them so I thought one of the 4 colony’s are looking to swarm and I find two colony’s with charged I’d say 5/6 day old cells.
Oh also today Ive stood and watched a mini nuc being robbed so I’ve now got it on the table from an apiary 40 miles away.
I’ve three cells in the incubator I’ve harvested from a frame of a 2021 queen, I’ve used a top box of a demaree closed of floor and both entrances the same way ive done a few like this this season.
Bramble and lime/clover are producing honey demareed brood boxes are interesting to extract from I’ve extracted almost 200 8 oz jars from two colony’s and there will be more from those two looks like this is going to be my best summer.
Any one taking bees to heather?

 

[Erichalfbee]

looks like this is going to be my best summer.

I'm pleased for you Mark. Some good news.
This year will be my worst since 2012 I reckon

 

[SWHives]

Set up my latest trap out. The bees are behind the triangular section and emerging on the junction between the chimney and the wall. I didn’t want to fix the box to the wall as I couldn’t inspect it. So it’s hung from a length of angle screwed to the rafters on a rope via pulleys so if can be lowered to inspect.
Box with a mesh cone screwed to the chimney to work as a one way valve. View attachment 40565

Impressive! Is it a swarm or established colony living in the chimney.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Impressive! Is it a swarm or established colony living in the chimney.

Established, it’s swarmed twice already this year so it might not take too long to milk all the bees that are left out!