I feel like I know less after 2nd hive inspection

[DayValleyDahlias]

Well..fumble stumble and regroup...I did a hive inspection..2 weeks ago I added a 2nd deep brood box...with new frames/foundations.  I found the queen on the 3rd frame in the top box...I saw larvae...I am not sure what eggs or capped brood looks like.

The new frames are in the center are being drawn out and there is beginning of drawing out on the ends...I took a loaded frame 8 from the bottom box and switched it out with the empty one in the top frame

I did take some pictures...When I pulled off the top box from the bottom box, in the area of the middle frame were bees and drone pupae ( pupae? white fatties )...is this bad?  I don't know wha the bees were doing to them...they were out of their cells and just sitting atop the frames...

Seriously I can't tell you what is going on in my hive and I am concerned...feeling a bit discouraged...

2 week old end frame



Top of the bottom brood box...the one with drone fatties on top




Top Box

[Kathyp]

your second box looks better than one of mine!!  you probably broke open the cells when you took the boxes apart.  that happens.  no big deal.  the bees will drag them out.

[Kirk-o]

O K Kid just try to remember you aren't doing brain surgery.You are Beekeeping.
If you get a chance go to beesource and read article by Charles Martin Simmon
on Beekeeping Backwards you will discover some neat things relax the bees are pretty smart
kirko

[Mici]

ok...now did you just happen to take photos of honey frames or...where's the cappe brood :?

[doak]

I hope you cleaned all that stuff, broken cells, drone pupae, off the top and bottoms of the frames.
The workers will build drone comb anywhere they can find space if there is not some damaged comb/foundation to build on.
That is a good time to look for verroa mites. they will be on the larvae, and easy to see.
That is another good reason to put at least one drone foundation frame in each brood box.
They will use it rather than building wild/stray comb.
The workers will also fill spaces like that with honey comb when space is limited.
doak

[DayValleyDahlias]

I cleaned some stuff off...the drone larvae did not have mites...thank goodness...I did see some eggs and tiny larvae...but I don't know if I saw any capped brood becasue the honey and the brood all the same to me...there was one frame that had a lot of white covering then some honey at the bottom...

[DayValleyDahlias]

That is another good reason to put at least one drone foundation frame in each brood box.


So buy drone foundation, place one frame in each brood box...then ditch the drones?

[Mici]

if there's honey at the bottom, there's honey above it, close to 100%, above it, it was covered/capped/cured honey

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=9683.0
capped brood
soon you'll learn to recognize the difference, it's pretty obvious

[DayValleyDahlias]

I didn't take pictures of the fames on either side of the queen cuz I didn't want to risk smashing her...when I did inspect the frame she was on, there was definitly acitivity with brood...

I also got freaked out by the drone crud on the bottom box and decided not to pull out all of the frames...I already had the hive open for around 20 minutes and I got worried..so next week I will work on being more relaxed and be more methodical perhaps..ugh...I dunno

[Kathyp]

1 shot tequila.

[DayValleyDahlias]

the tequila..sounds good right about now...hahahaha...do you mean BEFORE inspecting hives??  hhhmmm hahaha

[doak]

You don't have to ditch the drones. Just leave them and the worker bees will weed them out. The drones are thrown out in the fall anyway. Most likely they  will fill the cells with honey for winter,"If" you have a fall nector flow.
doak

[TwT]

it all looks and sounds good to me, just let them go, they will do fine.

[Understudy]

Broken comb is not a bad thing. In fact it gives you the oppurtunity to look at the larva and pupa. This way you can see if you have a varroa issue or some other issue.
The bees will repair the damage and remove the brood.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[DayValleyDahlias]

I am feeling a bit more relieved...thank you all for your input...

[Brian D. Bray]

In an attempt to minimize damage to bees and comb do not pull the 1st frame next to the hive wall 1st.  I always pull the 3rd frame in.  I pull the 1st 2 frames to the side of the box to give a little room and then ease the 3rd frame up and out.  There it is bees on bees, no bees against the wall.  Injuries to the bees and comb is greatly reduced and I can then work back to the other 2 frames if I need to.  The 3rd frame is generally the side wall of the brood chamber in a 10 frame hive anyway.  Sometimes it's the 2nd frame as it is on an 8 frame hive. 

I think you'll find that pulling the 3rd frame 1st is a lot easier than pulling the side frame.

[DayValleyDahlias]

I am grateful for all the advice...

Keep it coming :-D

[DayValleyDahlias]

P.S. I pulled the 2nd frame first, then slid the first frame towaard the space and SLOWLY pulled it up...we're talking S L O W...here...my poor little bees

[Scadsobees]

And don't worry, you don't know less.  The problem is that the questions pile up so much faster than the answers do, and questions are more overwhelming than answers.   It takes a while for the answers to catch up.....


Rick

[DayValleyDahlias]

Kirk-O,

I read the article by Charles Martin Simmons, loved it, and oddly enough, this man lives in Soquel, which is about 6 miles from here!

Most interesting!