Ok. Newbie here. Remember that. Always wanted a hive for my backyard due to family members having them. Big hive at work again. Under the hood of a grain silo door. Prepared to get this hive as it had to go. Have to climb in this door often in the Fall, or I would have left it alone and got a hive in some other way. YES! OK: One of those half supers on the bottom with frames, and a full super on top empty. Open the door and the comb is HUGE! 3X2x2. Too big for the empty super. So we get maybe half the comb into the box and leave half there. I put another super on top with half the frames and finish. Then that night (now) I take it home. Lotsa bees in it. Covered it well. Questions: Obviously don't know if I have the queen or not. Or if I do, maybe she was squished. Many bees around the other remaining half of the hive, but many in my box. How will I know if I have the queen? If I don't, can I purchase a queen only to make this hive survive. Would do this Monday if possible. Pushing my luck there I think. Other option: If I don't have the queen, I'm going to try again with the remaining half. My supers are old and the frames are old. I scraped the old wax off them beforehand though. (all used stuff) Do you folks think it would be better to buy new supers and frames?? I leaning in this direction for round two btw. Can afford it. I'm deadset on keeping this hive alive!! Also, any tips on ant repelling, treating for V. mites etc would be helpful. Just brought this hive home an hour ago and it's late, so haven't even read the articles on this site. Was the first Google hit, and seems like the best. I'll do so tomorrow. Bear with me, it's late. Again, a newbie. Thank you!
Jeff
Take a bee vac or a cardboard box back and get the rest of the bees. If you killed the queen in the process of getting the bees you can probably get it to survive with a new queen. the more bees the stronger the hive and the better chances for it's survival. If there are not enough bees to cover the frames you have expect robbing to take place.
Brian, thanks! I think I will go to work Monday eve and get the rest of the bees. Do have a suit. I put this hive in the shade as it's hot as heck here in CA, and there are many bees flying around it now. Not coming and going though, which is probably to be expected. Is there any way to know if I actually have the queen in there without actually seeing her? Thank you.
Jeff
odds are that when you disturb the hive the queen left the comb, now that's just the odds because they do that, if you get some comb with eggs or young brood in it and put it in the hive the girls will make a queen, I would do everything I could to get all the bee's even if you have to scoop them up in a foam cup, just try not to be hard because the queen could be in any scoop,,,, good luck
and if you get the queen and cant find her, inspect the hive in about 5 days and see if they are building any queen cells, if you got the queen you will find eggs and young larva, if they don't have a queen be so careful because they will have queen cells and you could hurt them, let them raise there own queen if you can, might even be better to wait if you check 3 days after and then again 3 weeks after so if they raise their own you want kill the queen......
TwT, thanks for the reply. There's definitely brood in this comb as some are now outside the box. White larva for lack of the right term, plus honey oozing out. My plan is to get the rest of the bees Monday eve. This will be easy. But.... was thinking about buying at least two supers and frames and putting these other bees in there. Then put this new setup next to this hive I've just brought home. Reason for this is when we transferred this hive to the boxes, there were at first just a small super full of small frames, then an empty super on top. This hive was BIG. Put lots of comb and bees on top into the empty super. Then put another super half full of frames on top of that. So am thinking this was the wrong approach as honey is leaking out like crazy even though it's in a full shade area. Leaking into the frames on the bottom and outside, with bees and larva getting stuck to this. Which may make the the bottom super useless. So what do you or anyone else think of the new setup idea??? Please let me know. Thanks!!
Jeff
if you stacked it all together with enough bee's they will take care of it, it will all leak out as long as you don't have the bee's to handle it, put it all together and let them go, you will get robbers and everything else you don't want by not letting all the bee's handle it, if you have to get the rest of the bee's get them fast before they don't know each others smell or you will have to do a newspaper method........ not sure what the time line is on this but its best to get them together fast........ they will clean up the spilled honey......
TwT, thanks for the help! I think I'll gather the rest tomorrow eve. and pour them in and see how it works out. (won't wait till Monday) A big section of the comb is still there, and I would think the rest of these bees are still there also. Just opened the silo door Friday. Will probably buy a new super with frames anyhow, as I may need it down the road. It's a big hive. Way bigger than last year. Under a hooded door and interesting how new swarms find places where other swarms had been before. Thanks for the help!! I'll just let the bees sort things out. Will let you know what happens. Thanks again.
Jeff
Ted, went back to get the rest of the bees, and they're gone for the most part. Maybe 40 or 50 left. Were lots more. So am thinking I have the queen. Granted this new hive is only 4 days old now, but around 6 pm every night it gets real busy. Many many bees working it. Question: The top super is only half full of frames, with the comb below. Do you think I should fill the remainder of this super with frames? This is my plan for now. Fill the remaining space and leave it alone until maybe next spring. Then take care of it. Gives me 6 or 7 months to learn what to do. Plus time for the bees to do their thing. What do you think? Thanks.
Jeff L.
Fill the super with frames even if there is no foundation in the frames--it is highly likely the bees will build comb in the empty frames and without them you will have a burr comb mess.
Get the hive set for the winter--at this point that is letting them settle in and build enough comb to store enough honey for several months.
In the Spring you'll want to work the frames containing the cut-out comb out of the hive as it will be weak from being cobbled in by both you and the bees.
Brian, went to the beekeeping store today and bought 10 frames with beeswax already in them. Removed the plastic frames and put these new ones in. Plus sprinkled them with sugar water. Also bought a feeder. So now it's up to the bees. Hopefully the queen will move up into the new frames at some point. Thanks for the help!
Jeff