Late to the party

[yes2matt]

So it looks like we're thinking to swarm. Lots of capped drone and cups prepared one a few frames. Where do I go from here? I'd like to artificially swarm them into a split (is that called a cutdown split? ) but I'm not sure of the timing. No eggs in the queen cups today, unless I missed one. When should I move the old queen into the nuc?

[richter1978]

Pretty sure I see a grub in one of those cells! IMO, time to split now! read idees advice in the recent split question thread.

[BeeMaster2]

I see 2 queen cells drawn out. Time to split.
Jim

[little john]

Just want to say that's one helluva photo - would make a really nice print, inside a frame ...
LJ

[yes2matt]

Thanks. I went in last night just before dusk, couldn't find the queen. The brood nest is three boxes deep, so it's either a serious project or an act of prayer. There's six or seven queen cups like that on three different frames. So yeah, I gotta find her soon. Durn day job.  :) :( I can afford the equipment but can't do the keeping. 

[cao]

Your picture reminds me of one of my hives last weekend.  Packed with bees, backfilling the brood nest and there was at least 10-15 queen cups.  I couldn't tell if there were eggs in the queen cups yet.  I saw the queen so I took the oppurtunity to put her in a nuc.  This past weekend I got back into that hive.  Still packed with bees and capped brood.  There was at least 20-25 capped queen cells.  Made up seven more nucs and left a frame with 5-6 queen cells on it in the hive.  I also added some empty frames.  Hopefully they won't feel the need to swarm anymore.  If they do, I at least still have the original queen and several nucs. 

Good luck with your hive  yes2matt.

[GSF]

Don't feel bad about being "late to the party". The best I can judge the bees around here are at least 3 weeks earlier, maybe 4, compared to last year. My swarms didn't start until about the 3 week in April last year. This year they were swarming the last week in March.

[Sebashtion H.]

Had this happen in one of my hives here in central Florida,  started 2 weeks ago made split, they made more made more splits, now i cannot find the queen in the parent hive. I checked all the frames as I was putting them in the nuks and didn't see her.

once splitting how long do you guys wait to check the queen cups/Cells to see if they hatched and to check that the nuk and parent hive are doing OK?

[GSF]

Sebashtion; Hope this helps;

http://bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm

Caste     Hatch        Cap              Emerge   
Queen   3 1/2 days  8 days +-1   16 days +-2  Laying        28 days +-5
Worker  3 1/2 days  9 days +-1   20 days +-1  Foraging      42 days +-7
Drone   3 1/2 days 10 days +-1   24 days +-1  Flying to DCA 38 days +-5

[jtcmedic]

Well that was  some good information

[Michael Bush]

Yes I would do a split.  A cutdown is a very specific kind of split:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#cutdown

[Sebashtion H.]

Sebashtion; Hope this helps;

http://bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm

Caste     Hatch        Cap              Emerge   
Queen   3 1/2 days  8 days +-1   16 days +-2  Laying        28 days +-5
Worker  3 1/2 days  9 days +-1   20 days +-1  Foraging      42 days +-7
Drone   3 1/2 days 10 days +-1   24 days +-1  Flying to DCA 38 days +-5

so i am reading that correct....... leave them alone for 28 days

[BeeMaster2]

You need another week to let her brood to develop enough to prove to the bees that she is a good queen.
Jim

[Sebashtion H.]

You need another week to let her brood to develop enough to prove to the bees that she is a good queen.
Jim

thank you

[BeeMaster2]

Any time.
Jim

[yes2matt]

Yes I would do a split.  A cutdown is a very specific kind of split:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#cutdown

Update:

Pretty sure this is the same frame, different angle.

I went thru the whole hive this am, three 10fr boxes of brood nest. It was a little early and chilly, but sunny. The drones were in. That made it super hard, and I didn't find the queen.  Gah, what a project to fail.

So I did the next best (I think) thing, I took three frames which had capped queen cells and put them into a "queen castle " I made, each with another frame of stores and nurses and some brood.

I left several queen cups in the parent hive, two of which I observed being fed by a nurse.  It's cool they have to put themselves almost all the way into the cell to get the jelly up to the grub.

I have a swarm trap out along a natural corridor, and will put another in the woods. Maybe instead of honey, this year I'll be getting colonies. Would like some honey though. 

[Dallasbeek]

You do take some great photographs.  What camera, etc., are you using.  I try and try to get good pictures and they're always just -- meh.

[yes2matt]

You do take some great photographs.  What camera, etc., are you using.  I try and try to get good pictures and they're always just -- meh.

Thanks. My phone is LG LS740, couple years old. I set it on to camera and put it in my top pocket so it's handy.

It has a Google app called Photos, and you can use it to color-correct and sharpen. I just use the automatic one-click setting.