So, as I recently posted, I had screwed up and killed a perfectly goo Carnie queen thru newbish stupidity :'( I reordered a new Carnie queen and patiently waited for it to be shipped and a few days before the new queen was to arrive I snooped around in the hive she was to go into and... there was some of the newest, prettiest, nice tightly pattern new brood... and piles of it. The new queen that the hive had hatched out is laying piles of beautiful brood. I know it has to be a new queen, I squished the old one 3 weeks ago, but now I have 2 seemingly great layers, 2 hives and a new queen that came in the mail yesterday. SO... I swipped 2 frames of brood from my strong hive, 2 full frames of partially capped honey and started a new hive with my cute little Carnie queen 10 miles away at a different location. Its late in the season, I know, and we'll soon be in a dearth so I will need to feed the heck out of them. Am I a crazy newbee? Any pointers? Did I screw up... again? (That last not to be answered by my wife ) :)
Oh, and thanks again for all of the good advice for us Newbees! Those of you who are in the know may not realize what a blessing you are to those of us blindly stumbling around out here.
Pill
Congratulations on being surprised by your bees! Isn't it fun?!
Personally, I don't think your crazy at all! You can't let a perfectly good queen go to waste! Yes on feeding the heck out of them. Also, do you have any drawn comb that you could give the new queen? Might help her lay more eggs faster if she has the room.
Thanks for the reply Alicia! Yes, when I was originally messing up my hives 2-3 weeks ago I pulled a frame of mostly capped honey a put in my weak hive. The frame I replace it with had been drawn out about 1/2 to 3/4 so I stole it along with the 2 frames of brood and 2 frames of honey. I wedged the queen in her little 3 cell box TIGHTLY between the 2 frames of brood and placed the partially drawn frame just on the other side of a brood frame. I flanked all of this with honey and then empty foundation.
Pill
Sounds like you get to try and winter a nuc. Feed the crap out of them.
Move them back home so you can feed them regularlly, and make sure you keep the entrance small. Better yet feed the strong one and steal combs of capped honey from them for the small one, so you don't set off robbing.