Ok so yesterday I took the top super off and harvesred some remaining honey from last year. I found 2 supercedure cells at top in brood chamber and removed them.?????
Today bees are really gathered around outside of entrance.Should I replace the supper I robbed yesterday will cleaned frames, comb foundations with a little Terramycin sprinkled on top of frames for foul brood?????
BTW: I did'nt see any swarm cells on bottom of frames. Jimmy
I wouldn't treat for foulbrood unless you have it or have been exposed to it.
You say you removed a couple of supercedure cells. Is your queen OK ? Is she laying a good brood pattern ?
It seems the bees think there is something wrong
Be sure to follow the instructions provided with medications to prevent resistance. Applying willy-nilly is only going to cause more problems, not solve them.
Table 1. Terramycin Soluble Powder (TSP) dusting dosage guide
Mix TSP with powdered sugar as indicated here. Feed each colony one ounce of this mixture (2 rounded tablespoons) three times, four to five days apart, for a total of three ounces (6 tablespoons).
I could'nt find the queen but, saw evidence of white larva a few days old(not capped). The queen is suppose to be in her second year ,unless my supplier ripped me off, by giving me an old queen.
It's storming here tonight or I would go out with a flash light and check to see if they went back in hive.
If your bees are building supercedure cells they are not satisfied with the queens performance. They will build more until either the queen fails entirely or they succeed in replacing her. I would advise letting the bees do a supercedure--you can always do a temporary split that can become permanent if necessary. Removing queen cells of any kind, at any time, is a really, really good way to end up queenless.
Last year, I had a supercedure. I wasn't sure if it was going to be successful so as insurance, I ordered a queen from Wilbanks. Well, by the time the queen got here from Georgia, the supercedure was going fine and I let it continue. I destroyed the queen since nobody wanted it.
The bees know what they need before you do.
> I found 2 supercedure cells at top in brood chamber and removed them.Huh??
I NEVER remove supersedure cells.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#queencellsbad
That's a good way to end up queenless.
>Today bees are really gathered around outside of entrance.Should I replace the supper I robbed yesterday will cleaned frames, comb foundations with a little Terramycin sprinkled on top of frames for foul brood?Huh?
I NEVER use terramycin. Do you have foul brood?
My bees often gather around the entrance -
- sometimes it's because it's hot in Hotlanta and they are ventilating the hive
- sometimes it's because it's rainy or threatening rain and I suppose they don't want to get caught out in it so they hang around deciding about the weather
- sometimes it's early in the morning and they are chomping at the bit to get foraging but it's still too cool to fly well
- sometimes it's because they are bees and I don't know what goes on in their little bee minds (see National Geographic July 2007).
- sometimes they are rocking out doing the washboard dance
My point: the bees gathering at the entrance is not necessarily a sign of anything or at least of anything that we as beeks can control!
Linda T in the N Ga mountains
I've also had them hang out during orientation flights (mine do this between 2 and 4 p.m. each day) some are the youngsters landing and taking off again and others are fanning scent from the front of the hive, saying 'come on back when you're ready'...
I always get a kick out of this and will sit and watch them awhile. When I walk past to get in to the backyard they run into me alot. No harm no foul!