I checked my 2 hive in my out yard and couldn't understand why the one hive was doing great - lots of honey in the super - and the other had just abandoned the super and carried all the honey 'down stairs'. So I checked the brood box of this hive to see what was up there and was surprised to see the frames covered in drones - not drone brood but drones! The 1st three frames had honey - fresh capped honey - then enpty frames covered in brood! I was just starting to despair when I saw some nice capped worker brood so all is not lost for this hive. I also saw atleast 3 hatched swarm cells so that explains somethings - I do know that they swarmed on April 1st... could of swarmed again after that I guess.
1st frame of brood covered with drones:
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/Tracy_Spear/Photo0137_zpsbaa842c8.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Tracy_Spear/media/Photo0137_zpsbaa842c8.jpg.html)
2 of the 3 swarm cells:
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/Tracy_Spear/Photo0138_zpsfc4df3ea.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Tracy_Spear/media/Photo0138_zpsfc4df3ea.jpg.html)
1 of the honey frames:
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/Tracy_Spear/Photo0141_zps5fcace9d.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Tracy_Spear/media/Photo0141_zps5fcace9d.jpg.html)
The other side of the honey frame - Some bee bread in there too:
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/Tracy_Spear/Photo0142_zpsfce49ec4.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/Tracy_Spear/media/Photo0142_zpsfce49ec4.jpg.html)
Quote from: Spear on May 14, 2014, 01:27:47 PM
I also saw atleast 3 hatched swarm cells so that explains somethings - I do know that they swarmed on April 1st... could of swarmed again after that I guess.
Indeed. This time of year it's good to know what your girls are doing, by doing inspections prior to them doing it. Check into the OTS system, (Google 'OTS beekeeping' or other methods of splitting and preventing swarming, perhaps?
here's a popular video:
http://youtu.be/qIYz65Vquxg (http://youtu.be/qIYz65Vquxg)