What did you do in the Apiary today?

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malx said:
. Then found a queen cell unsealed, followed by two sealed,then a couple more. I'd remembered how to do an artificial swarm however that required the queen........
In the end I moved the frames with larvae food and Queen cells into a spare hive and hopefully left the queen, eggs and food in another.
Click to expand...
You can always live in hope - the fact you had sealed QC's and couldn't find the queen or eggs is a subtle hint she's gone more than three days ago. So now it seems you have a hopelessly queenless hive and one packed full of QC's which will probably swarm itself to a standstill - which hive did you leave in the original position and which in the new - and how far apart?
 
jenkinsbrynmair said:
You can always live in hope - the fact you had sealed QC's and couldn't find the queen or eggs is a subtle hint she's gone more than three days ago. So now it seems you have a hopelessly queenless hive and one packed full of QC's which will probably swarm itself to a standstill - which hive did you leave in the original position and which in the new - and how far apart?
Click to expand...

No doubt made the wrong choice but had to do something there and then. Did think that they might be supercedure cells. But they were all on the outside of the frames, none on the faces of frames and there were a lot. One or two I'm thinking supercedure, about 10 I'm thinking swarm.
Smaller hive with cells is in original location.
If I've made the wrong choice so be it.
If there are no signs of eggs next week I'll take a frame of eggs from another hive.
 
malx said:
No doubt made the wrong choice but had to do something there and then. Did think that they might be supercedure cells. But they were all on the outside of the frames, none on the faces of frames and there were a lot. One or two I'm thinking supercedure, about 10 I'm thinking swarm.
Smaller hive with cells is in original location.
If I've made the wrong choice so be it.
If there are no signs of eggs next week I'll take a frame of eggs from another hive.
Click to expand...

No such thing as supersedure and swarm cells at the same time in the same colony. More than one QC regardless of where they are means swarming, one ot two QC's means either supersedure or swarming. If only beekeeping was that simple.
You have made the wrong decision - first queen out and half of them will be away.
Better to get back ASAP and sort out the mess rather than spending a week with your fingers crossed.
What is a 'smaller hive'? a Nuc?
Get back there tomorrow,check the bigger hive again for the queen, if no sign, move one open QC into the hive with none, put the bigger hive back in the original location, reduce the QC's down to one open in the nuc and then hope for the best.
 
jenkinsbrynmair said:
No such thing as supersedure and swarm cells at the same time in the same colony. More than one QC regardless of where they are means swarming, one ot two QC's means either supersedure or swarming. If only beekeeping was that simple.
You have made the wrong decision - first queen out and half of them will be away.
Better to get back ASAP and sort out the mess rather than spending a week with your fingers crossed.
What is a 'smaller hive'? a Nuc?
Get back there tomorrow,check the bigger hive again for the queen, if no sign, move one open QC into the hive with none, put the bigger hive back in the original location, reduce the QC's down to one open in the nuc and then hope for the best.
Click to expand...

That's what I'll do, I'll put a qc back tomorrow.
I don't think this hobby is for me, I cannot see Queens or eggs ��
Might order a bigger torch and magnifying glass!
So is it worth me just undoing everything I did and put it all back together, all qcs?
 
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Wel.. not quite in the apiary... spent the day with the Association at Open Farm Sunday at a local farm ... talking about bees, observation hive, selling honey and rolling candles ... lots of fun. Weather was glorious.

Came home about 4pm to find a huge swarm (not mine as far as I can see so far) in next doors garden ... about 12' up a walnut tree ... only about 10 feet away from where a swarm arrived last year about the same time from recollecion - not checked my records yet. They were too high for my tall steps and the branch was too thin to support a ladder. So .. large cardboard box on the top of the steps, firmly tied on, and I gave the branch a good shake with my long handled tree pruner ... about 2/3 of the swarm came down ... sods law ... most of them missed the box !! Bees EVERYWHERE ..

Got what I could into a spare hive into which I had put a queen attractant and some lemon grass oil on a bit of tissue and some old comb ..

By now half the swarm were back in the tree ... tried again shaking them into the carboard box on top of the steps .. another disaster ... half of what was left in the tree missed the box and the rest went back to the branch ...

Anyway, after two or three attempts - including one as it was getting dark - I've got about 90% of the swarm either in the hive or (at the moment) sitting on the front or roof of the hive ... the rest are in a small cluster in the tree. What I don't know is whether I've got the queen in the hive and the remains of the swarm are just clustered around her pheremones or whether she's still on the branch. I've left them to it now ... they are either going to end up in the hive or they will be back on the branch. If it's the latter my neighbour says I can lop the branch off with the bees on it ... more fun !!

Got stung about 4 times - through the gloves and through the suit so not too bad - considering what I inflicted on them not too bad ... so, tomorrow I may be a 7 hive owner - 'er indoors not too impressed though !! I'm not supposed to have any more bees in the garden ...

They are nice looking bees though ... mind you - I have no spare brood frames made up - will have to be up early tomorrow !!
 
JWF said:
Or, this thought just popped into my head - what if one of my virgin queens from another hive has been out for a mating flight but ended up returning to the wrong hive? That seems possible, as I'm expecting three queens to come into lay very soon.

Why don't bees do as they're told lol!!!
Click to expand...

It does happen that way sometimes.

Why would bees do as they're told? The ones in charge are female! :D
 
jenkinsbrynmair said:
Better leave them apart now that the split is done - regardless, you need to reduce the QC's to one in each hive
Click to expand...

I will do that, decided to "work" from home today so will get over and make alterations shortly.
The reason i asked about undoing all the changes i made was that i was thinking if they were superseding then perhaps i should have just left them alone. I hope it don't come across that i was questioning your advice as that wa snot my intention.

Thanks for your advice, i have certainly taken it on board and will follow it.
 
malx said:
to "work" from home
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Congrats on the correct punctuation of that which is so often written "work from home".

Secondly, I'm keeping schtum about recent adventures in the apiary since they provide further evidence of my really staggering incompetence. Let's just say Snelgrove methods and (wet) flying mated Qs were (again) involved and not just my -2 this year swarm score (more evidence). But what looks like a happy ending.
 
malx said:
I don't think this hobby is for me, I cannot see Queens or eggs ��
Click to expand...

I can't speak for anyone else but, I couldn't see eggs for ages. Then one day they were just there:).
As for queen spotting, it's as if she knows you're looking for her.
Don't worry, it'll all fall into place.
Don't give up, but do pay attention to the people on the forum who know what they're talking about. They're not as hard to spot as your queen ;).

.
 
Cussword said:
I can't speak for anyone else but, I couldn't see eggs for ages. Then one day they were just there:).
As for queen spotting, it's as if she knows you're looking for her.
Don't worry, it'll all fall into place.
Don't give up, but do pay attention to the people on the forum who know what they're talking about. They're not as hard to spot as your queen ;).

.
Click to expand...

I think we all have these problems at first.

With the eggs, once you see them you see them. Its like Wheres Wally or those magic eye books.

As far as queen spotting, I was given the advice to tilt the frame and look across it at an angle. Makes the queens movements easier to spot. Although I think we can all have problems spotting an unmarked queen in a busy hive.
 
jenkinsbrynmair said:
That's OK - but take it from me, they were not superseding :)
Click to expand...
I'd assumed they were swarming. Had i been able to find the queen i'd have followed the guides i have on what to do. I've been back over, moved over an open and changed QC, move hive back. Other colony has a charged QC.

No sign of eggs but even with a torch I cannot see into the cells. I think a change of foundation is needed.

TryingToLetThemBee said:
Congrats on the correct punctuation of that which is so often written "work from home".

Secondly, I'm keeping schtum about recent adventures in the apiary since they provide further evidence of my really staggering incompetence. Let's just say Snelgrove methods and (wet) flying mated Qs were (again) involved and not just my -2 this year swarm score (more evidence). But what looks like a happy ending.
Click to expand...
I've had lots of practice in being at home "working". Normally i'd keep quiet too but i hoped someone would comment to confirm my course of action was idiotic or correct. It;s certainly a steep learning curve ain't it?

Cussword said:
I can't speak for anyone else but, I couldn't see eggs for ages. Then one day they were just there:).
As for queen spotting, it's as if she knows you're looking for her.
Don't worry, it'll all fall into place.
Don't give up, but do pay attention to the people on the forum who know what they're talking about. They're not as hard to spot as your queen ;).

.
Click to expand...

Yeah i'll see how it goes, i think my problem was i was stuck with limited time and had to do something quickly. Had i found the queen, no problem at all, i know what do to. No queen threw me off track. I'm hoping it clicks one day.
 
Poor bees have been shut in since 5am this morning as farmer spraying the neighbouring fields. Such a lovely day. Can't wait to escape at lunchtime to let them out.
 
Collected a swarm this morning and took them to our out apiary. The lone hive that died out over the winter had a well established swarm in residence - happy days, they are desperate for a super. Moving a few hives back up there from the OSR this evening.

 
Cut the grass and nudged the naughty hive with the lawnmower. Five stings. Cut the rest of the grass in beesuit. Followers even went round to the front lawn.. a first..

No fun: queen raising just now.. when complete, queen replacement asap.. One parked in a nuc just waiting..

My YTD sting total for this year now beats last year's total..:eek:
 
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