Package Problem

[thegolfpsycho]

Here in SLC, we inspected DerickSLC's new hive two weeks ago when he figured something wasn't going right.  We found his package to have a drone layer.  An extremely puny queen, and every capped cell the familiar bullet shape.  We watched several freeloaders emerge, from worker cells with bullet caps.  Very disheartening for a new beekeeper to recognize their only colony is heading south fast.  He got a new queen, and we looked back in yesterday.  She had been banked, and it took a couple days for her to get going, but she's workin hard now.  Of course, there are dang few workers and they will dwindle to nothing before the new brood emerges.  My original plan was just to bring him one of my splits (they are all ready to expand) and combine them.  I think instead, we will give them a couple frames of emerging brood and he can grow his knowledge right along with the colony as it starts building up. There are still about 3 months of warm weather left   Plenty of time to combine if they don't turn the corner.  I'm also going to bring Derick out to the outyard and let him open up some big colonys and go through a couple if he wants to.  I think working a 4 deep monster on a mission  will really help him past those new beek jitters.

[thomashton]

Dang I bet that was frustrating.

Here's another example of why it is so nice to be a part of this message board community.

DerekSLCs hive would've died and he would have had a bad experience. Good job guys. Glad to be a part of this community

[Hi-Tech]

Amen! I know that I would have lost one hive if it had not been for knowledgeable beeks willing to share their experiences like, Finsky, MB & Brian as well as all of the rest of you....

I bow to thee in thanks....