I had a strong hive made from a wild queen. I split this hive on march 30Th taking the wild queen and 2 frames of brood and leaving the rest of the brood (appx.) 5 frames and the majority of bees with a new Sunkist queen.
The wild queen has built her numbers back up strongly while the new Sunkist queen has only 1 frame of brood and maybe a few cells of brood on the adjoining 2 frames.
Yesterday I had, had enough and checkerboarded the frames of brood with empty frames and moved a frame of honey/pollen that was next to the brood to the edge of the hive body.
I understand that brood cluster shouldn't be compromised however, what negative effects can I expect from this rash move I made? Thank's, Brad
well....it's not going to increase brood production unless that queen was out of room. other than that, it's not something i would do as a matter of course, but as long as you have enough bees to cover all the brood, it's probably not going to mess things up to much. the "empty frames" were drawn comb? that might make a big difference. also, don't know what your nectar flow is like right now, but you might try feeding if you find that hive is lite. sometimes that helps get things going.
you might consider letting them raise their own queen when you have stock as good as the queen in the first hive. that's the kind of genetics you want to encourage.
This is all on previously used HSC frames so they don't need to build comb and we are in the height of our nectar flow and their putting honey in a super. I thought these Sunkist's were supposed to be the great but I've owned 5 now and have to say that I am less than impressed. A friend of mine also has 1 and isn't impressed either. Brad
>The wild queen has built her numbers back up strongly while the new Sunkist queen has only 1 frame of brood and maybe a few cells of brood on the adjoining 2 frames.
>Yesterday I had, had enough and checkerboarded the frames of brood with empty frames and moved a frame of honey/pollen that was next to the brood to the edge of the hive body.
Had enough of them not raising brood? So you took the weak hive and spread them thinner?
>I understand that brood cluster shouldn't be compromised
I wouldn't hesitate to put empty frames in a strong colony's brood nest. But I would never do it to a week hive.
> however, what negative effects can I expect from this rash move I made?
Chilled brood and stressed bees.