Swarm split

[doak]

The colony that swarmed about 3 weeks ago.
I split it a couple days later.
The split has a new Queen and the bees have gentled down.
The mother colony has no Queen and about 50% drones.
Workers mean as I have "EVER" ran across.
I will leave it sit and come what may.T he workers should dwindle away in 5 or 6 weeks.
I can work with the other colonies close by after this one settles down.
They are O K till they are disturbed.
Hate to let it fade out like that but I'll will not put up with one like it.  :evil:

I have some pictures of the other/last colony I had not been onto.
No swarm cells. 3 deep and one medium.
Took one deep and the medium and split it off.
added a M T deep to each.
My other split looks good but I didn't go into it yet.
Letting them settle down and to make sure they are far enough along to tell if they Queened or not.
Each had 2 Queen cells. This is the one that swarmed and swarmed again from the mother colony.
2 big swarms and still a lot of bees. ;) doak

[doak]

Here is some pictures of the one I split.
This is its 3rd year from a swarm. This is my ready pile.





At the entrance.




Picture first.





now story.
This is what every top and bottom in this hive looked like.
To my surprise this colony was gentle.
I did not take any frames out to see what was what inside.
I will let them settle into their routine and check them next week, say five days from now.
got to go, SWMBO wants me to patty out some burger paddies. ;)
doak

[heaflaw]

Maybe the only reason they are mean is because they don't have a queen.  If you give them a frame containing eggs from another hive, they can make a new queen and become a normal hive again and settle down.

[doak]

Don't think so, they were  mean last year when they had a queen and this spring when I first checked them
They were a cross from a swarm I got in Macon, 35 miles from here.That swarm didn't look like any thing I have in the yard. They re Queened from the offspring I have from my Ferrel stock.
Happens every time.
Did it a few years back with a Cornie  Queen.
Produced some bad bees, as in "mean"
That is why I am going to rear some Queens this year myself.
Have already got two new splits with new queens working.
The split I made today was gentle and unless they superceded  they have the Queen that came with the swarm 2 years ago March 15th.
All from the original swarm that came out of the woods 9 years ago.
I have not had any outside stuff that I brought in from elsewhere to survive.
Not even Queens from one of the top producers.

I think my stock is trying to tell me something.
Year before last I lost 7 out of 12 colonies.
Gained one back last year and didn't loose but 2 out 0f 6 this past year.
All but two of the ones I lost of the 7 was stock from outside my area.

Think I better listen to what they are trying to tell me.
Not only that 5 of the 7 I lost had been treated according to directions.
No treatment last year and lost only two, There again one of those was a new Queen I got last spring. drove down and picked it up.

This is a good story if you believe it.
I do cause it has happened and I can't change it.
Bee happy with a bee smiling face. :)doak

P.S. I got stung on the belly button today

[Michael Bush]

Why not give them a frame of open brood and let them take care of the problem?

Queenless bees can be very mean.

[doak]

I thought of that My best Queen is laying solid pattern.
It is a very gentle colony.
May try that in the next day or two.
Also I think what helped them get so aggressive I striped the hive down to the bottom board to change it and looking for brood/eggs and the queen. :)doak

[doak]

Had to go down 12 or 13 pages to find this.
Any how, at the top I told about the one that swarmed and I split it and it swarmed again.
" Notice the date" When I thought it queen less, gave it time, they have gentled down and have a queen.
No, not laying worker.
In my 9 years of beekeeping I have never had a colony to develop laying workers.
Let one go 41 days once and then re queened it.
This is the "BIG" swarm I caught  easter week end a year ago.
Both splits are doing well and have plenty of bees, but I will not expect any honey from this one this year.
Reason for going back and hunting down this thread, didn't want to start another on the same.

Can't believe how fast the threads move on this forum.
Could it be that "the bees don't wait"? ;)doak