When to put supers on?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

With eggs in cups, Iwouldn't wait seven days until the next inspection though

 

[pargyle]

Did inspection today the one hive ticking along nicely the other has exploded.masses of drones,crammed with bees couldn't find the Queen but have eggs larvae and brood, lots of cups some with eggs. Should we have done a split at this stage?

Are they actual queen cells or just cups? They sometimes play for a bit before actually constructing queen cells ...if they are actual queen cells then you really should be doing an A/S ... play cups are normally just an indication that they may be thinking about it ... are those 'cups' with eggs possibly just drone cells.?..they do sometimes make drone cells much bigger than the standard drone brood cells...often at the edge of the comb or where they have got a bit creative....probably need to keep an eye in them but not panic...if they are just cups with eggs they aren't going to swarm yet..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if they are just cups with eggs they aren't going to swarm yet..

But they may well do so in less than seven days, so I would hope for the best and inspect a day or two earlier

 

[thorn]

I see poly hives have a sliding entrance but most are sold for deterring wasps.
Point me in the right direction if there is a sliding entrance block for cedar hives.
A piece of 2x1 does the trick and a bit of dolerite.

I have a cedar hive on an Abelo poly floor. It allows me to use the Abelo entrance block. It came in very useful today, when I moved the hive from one apiary to another.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did inspection today the one hive ticking along nicely the other has exploded.masses of drones,crammed with bees couldn't find the Queen but have eggs larvae and brood, lots of cups some with eggs. Should we have done a split at this stage?

My rule of thumb is .........queen cups check in one week, eggs in queen cups check in three days, royal jelly in queen cups makes them queen cells so I have to split.

 

[The Poot]

Fully intended to check mine today - Loads of bees over the fronts of three hives and loud orienting around 12:45. By the time I had gathered kit together, it was gloomy, cold and within 30 minutes more, the bees were indoors. Then it rained for all of half a minute. Two hours later, the bees were all out playing again. I have an uncomfortable feeling...
Friday, forecast is for 12c with no wind, but sunny. If it materialises that’s when I’ll get into them. Looking to warm up next week it seems, so it could get really interesting.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Wait until you get the wrong side of 70 and your brain still thinks you are 26 .... it's surprising how much wear and tear has come about as a result of a lifelong membership of Abuse Your Body ! What's worse is the recovery period from injuries seems to extend exponentially with every year that passes ... There'll be a few on here that know exactly what I mean ... lifting correctly and within your limits is essential (coupled with fish oil supplements and glucosamine !) and the occasional application of Voltarol ...

Industrial strength gel works far better than the over the counter stuff

 

[pargyle]

Industrial strength gel works far better than the over the counter stuff

Got a telephone appointment with the doctor next Thursday - hopefully they will prescribe something effective or I'll be turning a wooden leg !

 

[gmonag]

I haven't been able to inspect since the first one on 30 Mar. It is just so cold here in E Anglia - we haven't seen temperatures above 10C for two weeks and not much forage is coming in.
I'm not sure what I fear most, swarming or starvation.

 

[Amari]

Duplicate

 

[Amari]

Ha ha - would that my grandchildren were close enough - they are about 80 miles away.

I have two things I would not be without in the workshop (saves my knees bending too much):

2. A mechanical pick up tool...

Ours (=SWMBO's) are 40 miles away. Extortionate rates of pay makes it their worthwhile to come.

Good thinking! I do a local litter pick and bought this three weeks ago (tho' temporarily unavailable on Amazon). Picks up cans of Scrumpy Jack and tins of Stella. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O47ILVA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Finman]

Did inspection today the one hive ticking along nicely the other has exploded.masses of drones,crammed with bees couldn't find the Queen but have eggs larvae and brood, lots of cups some with eggs. Should we have done a split at this stage?

Eggs in cupps means that the colony has a swarming fever it is better to cut the fever at once and get the quern lay again. Delaying splitting does not help.

Make a artificial swarm.

Masses of drones....? You have bad combs there. They use energy to drones. And drones are a real mite factory.

If you wait one week the AS, then you have a real swarm in the tree. First swarm leaves when first queen cells are capped.

 

[Amari]

I haven't been able to inspect since the first one on 30 Mar. It is just so cold here in E Anglia - we haven't seen temperatures above 10C for two weeks and not much forage is coming in.
I'm not sure what I fear most, swarming or starvation.

 

[Finman]

two weeks and not much forage is coming in
I'm not sure what I fear most, swarming or starvation.

It is very easy to look, does the colony has food.

Bad weathers inspire swarming. You may lift the brood box without lifting the frames . When you see queen cups and no eggs or milk there, they are not going to swarm.

+10C is not bad temperature to inspect brood frames. Do not keep them outside the hive.

I inspected my hives today at the temp of 8C. I inspected how much they have capped brood . I started patty feeding. It takes few days that willows start blooming.

And I gove all pollen frames what I found from my comb storage. Only 3 frames.

 

[Finman]

We have splended weathers here now. 8C temp and sun. No snow on the field any more . It takes about 4 days that willows are in full bloom.

I must inspect all hives that they have a laying queen, and not masses of drone brood..

10 days good, but what then? Fotecasts change much, almost every day.

 

[bobba]

It was cloudy and spitting rain after work today, so still no supers on. Hoping it will be better tmr....

 

[Finman]

If weathers are bad, you may do a vertical artificial swarm arrangement.

You make a tower of old hive and the AS. Old hive flies backwards. AS gives hrat to old hive's brood.

Give foundations to thr AS that comb drawing kills the swarming fever. If you give teady combs, the swarm often continues queen cell rearing.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Got a telephone appointment with the doctor next Thursday - hopefully they will prescribe something effective or I'll be turning a wooden leg !

 

[ericbeaumont]

Should we have done a split at this stage?

decided not to split today, as still some very cold nights to come. May look to split in a week or so

Vertical split would get the job done and retain heat. A week or so is a long time in bee world...

 

[masterBK]

Agree with above: vertical split is the way to go under current weather conditions. Ken Basterfield wrote an article somewhere a few years ago on how he (and Dan) does it with queen in bottom BC but with entrance pointing to the rear and with most of bees and brood in BC above the split board with forward entrance. Supers are above this. Works OK and with less heavy lifting at each inspection compared with using snelgrove (or similar) methods.