Winter brood

[Wingy]

Inserted the inspection boards on my national long hive for a couple of days last week to monitor varroa and was surprised to see 13 seams of brood cappings when checked. Only a small amount of stores uncapped and bees still out at every opportunity. Hive is home made with sides at approx 60mm thick, OMF & 100mm insulation built into roof space

 

[JohnRB]

Similar issues with mine. Most are so full of bees I'm worried that if there is a cold snap I'm going to end up with abandoned brood as they go back into a cluster, or starvation as they are suddenly confined to the hive and need to consume all their stores to keep the brood going. Conversely, too warm and we'll be back to swarming in March! I'm going to have to keep a close eye on them.

 

[Nannysbees]

Inserted the inspection boards on my national long hive for a couple of days last week to monitor varroa and was surprised to see 13 seams of brood cappings when checked. Only a small amount of stores uncapped and bees still out at every opportunity. Hive is home made with sides at approx 60mm thick, OMF & 100mm insulation built into roof space

Did you actually go into the hive? I'm not attempting to open ours up. We are going to vape and put a board for counting but won't be taking the hive apart

 

[Ian123]

Inserted the inspection boards on my national long hive for a couple of days last week to monitor varroa and was surprised to see 13 seams of brood cappings when checked. Only a small amount of stores uncapped and bees still out at every opportunity. Hive is home made with sides at approx 60mm thick, OMF & 100mm insulation built into roof space

I checked some nucs just before Xmas and no brood, I’d be surprised if it was indeed 13 frames.

 

[Wingy]

Did you actually go into the hive? I'm not attempting to open ours up. We are going to vape and put a board for counting but won't be taking the hive apart

No just read the results of the inspection boards. Not been in the hive since end of September

 

[Wingy]

I checked some nucs just before Xmas and no brood, I’d be surprised if it was indeed 13 frames.

Last inspection end of September they were covering 32 frames no QX so Q had free run - now evidence with cappings on the boards was 13 dark brood and 3 light stores.

 

[Nannysbees]

Last inspection end of September they were covering 32 frames no QX so Q had free run - now evidence with cappings on the boards was 13 dark brood and 3 light stores.

Good detective work

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last inspection end of September they were covering 32 frames no QX so Q had free run - now evidence with cappings on the boards was 13 dark brood and 3 light stores.

What sort of bees?

 

[Wingy]

What sort of bees?

The 2022 Q in there is now a F2 Buckfast. Mother a 2021 F1 was removed to a Nuc in May as swarm control and I lost her later in the year trying to combine with a very nasty colony which killed her