What have I done??

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thedeaddiplomat

House Bee
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
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Location
cornwall
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
sadly, no more!
I did an AS twelve days ago. Checked the resulting two hives this afternoon - rather wish I hadn't, I am so confused!

The hive to which I moved the old Queen, a frame of brood and two frames of stores: Plenty of bees and stores, one frame of sealed brood (nice pattern), some sign of the new brood foundation being drawn. But no sign of larvae (or the Queen, but I might just have missed her - she isn't marked) and two sealed Queen cells. Bees entirely relaxed.

The hive next door, where I left the remainder of the brood, and several Queen cells. Lots of sealed brood, larvae, stores etc and plenty of very content bees. Bees very relaxed and busy drawing foundation etc.

What have I done? Seems to me I may have mistakenly left the old Queen in the wrong box. But this does not explain a nice pattern of sealed brood in what would have been a queenless hive for the past twelve days. Nor, surely, would the bees there be so content. Perhaps the presence of two Queen cells suggests that I mistook a sign of swarming for a move toward supercedure?

But could the other hive have produced a virgin queen that mated and got laying so prolifically in such a short time?
 
this happened to me last year, the AS swarmed. I read afterwards that 3 or 4 days after doing the AS you need to check the new colony (with the old queen) and knock down any queen cells
 
I did an AS twelve days ago. Checked the resulting two hives this afternoon - rather wish I hadn't, I am so confused!

But could the other hive have produced a virgin queen that mated and got laying so prolifically in such a short time?

No, not unless you beleive in the imaculate conception, or you already had mother and daughter and rthe mother then swarmed in her new hive

you must have left her behind and they have pulled down the QC and in the other you have two scrub queen cells
 
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this happened to me last year, the AS swarmed. I read afterwards that 3 or 4 days after doing the AS you need to check the new colony (with the old queen) and knock down any queen cells

I did an AS on Saturday morning and 11:30 this morning the box with the old queen swarmed. I captured the swarm and saw her. I guess I must have missed a queen cell or they were darned quick raising a new queen.
 
this happened to me last year, the AS swarmed. I read afterwards that 3 or 4 days after doing the AS you need to check the new colony (with the old queen) and knock down any queen cells
Bees are difficult to second guess, I a/s'd a colony yesterday ,I placed her madge on the frame she was on in new box on old site , plus one frame drawn comb the rest foundation (no queen cells no queen cups, in fact zilch !)
next queen excluder then super of uncapped honey .
Today I got a call that something was a buzz in the apiary :confused:.
On arrival I saw a lot of activity around the as'd hive and in the air. Sure enough most of the bees had absconded . My missus spotted the swarm in the hedge , "very nice" all wrapped around the branches and spread along the limbs :puke: . I searched for the Queen for ages , no chance, so I brushed them down in the general direction of my swarm box ! this only thinned them down a bit and upset them .
On having a closer look the Missus spotted her on the trunk about 4" fron the ground I picked her off (the Queen not the Missus) and caged her .I moved the hive to one side ,put a Q/X on the omf ,replaced the hive , lifted the one frame with brood on shook same and had another look, no, I hadn't missed anything :). I released her onto the frame, replaced it and reassembled the hive. I carried on retrieving clumps of bees and chucking them on the alighting board.
At this point the Missus got a few bees in her bonnet :(, this put an end to procedures as I had to leave with her to pick out a sting in her cheek plus 2 in neck/chin area.
After brewing up for her and making sure she was ok I returned! Most of the bees had returned to the hive leaving very few stragglers .

If I had done a shook swarm I would automatically have used a Q/X under the brood box but as I've never had an A/S'd Queen swarm ,I didn't think I need bother !!
Something new every day keeps the grey matter active :).

John Wilkinson
 
Didnt your missus have a suit on then?

Yes she did but after examining it she has decided that she musn't have zipped it up properly :ack2:.

John Wilkinson
 
I did an as today and decided to as them into an empty hive without any brood with the queen in a cage with a candy stopper. This upset the bees a bit and loads ganged up around the entrances of neighbouring hives untill enough got fanning round the new hive.
I split the brood in two lots each with enough bees and brood and an unsealed cell - three for the price of one I reckon
John Wilkinson - amazing how a nice cupa helps in a situation like yours
 
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No, not unless you beleive in the imaculate conception, or you already had mother and daughter and rthe mother then swarmed in her new hive

you must have left her behind and they have pulled down the QC and in the other you have two scrub queen cells

I can accept that I may have mistaken her for a particularly muscular drone (the eyes not being what they were). But that doesn't answer the mystery of a frame of sealed brood?
 
I did an as today and decided to as them into an empty hive without any brood with the queen in a cage with a candy stopper. This upset the bees a bit and loads ganged up around the entrances of neighbouring hives untill enough got fanning round the new hive.
I split the brood in two lots each with enough bees and brood and an unsealed cell - three for the price of one I reckon
John Wilkinson - amazing how a nice cupa helps in a situation like yours

Margaret has only been helping me a couple of years and at that on an ad-hoc basis , but from day one she has shown little or no reaction to stings . Yesterday I thought three stings in a known sensitive area ! look out John she isn't going to be best pleased :chillpill:
A couple of dabs of benydryl cream, 2 paracetamol tablets and a cup of tea later and all back to normal:).
Time yet laddie , but this morning she's knocking hell out of the furnishing , busying herself and suggesting a trip to the garden centre, no signs of being stung .
Some peeps are lucky that way!!

Took me literally years to get anywhere near approaching her level of immunity!!

John Wilkinson
 

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