Why is this hive continuing to do so well in spite of itself?

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Do224

Drone Bee
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
1,186
Reaction score
539
Location
North Cumbria
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
I aim for 4…often becomes 6
Double brood colony made swarm preps 1st May. Nuc’d queen and left a cell. Queen laying 23rd May. More swarm preps 1st June. Nuc’d queen and left a cell. Queen emerged but not laying yet.

I extracted a super off this hive in May and judging by the weight they’re filling it again now. Entrance very busy with foragers.

I have four colonies and this is still by far my strongest. None of the others are filling supers yet. Given that workers are only supposed to live 6 weeks I can’t work out why this colony isn’t dwindling? Not that I’m complaining…just wondering what’s going on. Are they doing so well foraging because they don’t have much brood rearing duties to take up their time/energy?
 
Sounds to me like you need to change your queen.
If the balance of foraging bees are greater than young bees they can and will forage like mad - I’ve heard of story’s of beeks bleeding foraging bees from numerous colony’s into two supers of comb no brood present and they’ve foraged like mad filling the supers with honey.
I think I heard that from @Ian123 who hasn’t been on here for an age
 
Is this hive the first in line when the bees come back from foraging? Sometimes weary bees stop at the first hive and end up staying there.
Same also happens with hives at the end of the prevailing wind direction.
 
Is this hive the first in line when the bees come back from foraging? Sometimes weary bees stop at the first hive and end up staying there.
Same also happens with hives at the end of the prevailing wind direction.
There’s only two hives in the apiary so don’t think that’s it in this case
 
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