Just Did Inspection- What does this mean?

bullybrink · May 06, 2009, 04:57:00 PM

A little background info... my bees were hived from a package on April 9. My last inspection (prior to today) was 2 weeks ago due to weather, etc. I did not see the queen then but saw eggs so I was happy. I also saw lots of pollen and nectar.

Now today I saw larva and eggs in all stages. I saw around 2 frames of empty cells from newly emerged bees. I saw the original green dot queen and also saw an empty capped queen cell on the upper 1/3 of a frame. Also about 7 1/2 frames are drawn. My hive population doesn't seem to be down so I don't think they swarmed. Since 7 1/2 frames were drawn I added another deep. For some reason one side of the deep does not sit flush with the other deep and leaves a bee space between them. The bees are actually using it as another entrance right now. Should I just leave it and let them fill it with propolis or should I try to close it up somehow?

MustbeeNuts · May 06, 2009, 05:33:40 PM

put a heavy brick on top, that should level it out and it'll warp back, or should. I got some like that , not as bad as a bee going thru but still high on a corner, bees filled it. but a brick helped as well.

WOB419 · May 06, 2009, 08:55:38 PM

Bully,

a queen cell in the upper third of the frame is more likely a supercedure cell than a swarm cell. They are too new to the hive, too small of a population and have too much room for them to have swarmed. If the girls are not pleased with the performance of their queen they will supercede her with a new queen, which is what you might have seen. It is possible that what you saw is a drone cell that you are mistaking as a queen cell? I think that that might be more likely.

It might be too early to add the second brood box. The hive can have trouble controlling the temperature (and have other problems) if you give them too much space. The uneven hive box is not an urgent problem but I would fix it or replace it as you have time; I just don't have much patience for messing with a nucence like that but that is just me. The brick idea might work but I would not let it remain open through the winter.

NasalSponge · May 06, 2009, 09:39:23 PM

As far as the box not being level....the heavy brick idea is a good one. I check all mine when I build them and keep a small hand plane near by to adjust them as needed. Like WOB said either a supercedure cell or emergency cell. I have never purchased package bees but supercedure seem to be fairly common with them from what I have read in the forums.
g/l

RayMarler · May 07, 2009, 03:11:15 AM

I don't understand. Was the queen cell empty? or was it capped? It is normal and healthy for strong productive hives to have empty queen cell cups here and there throughout the hive, both in supercedure positions as well as in swarming positions. I call them play cells. If you tear them down the bees will just make some more.

Brian D. Bray · May 07, 2009, 04:03:15 AM

Sounds like queen cups to me. Bees make them all the time. I don't fret until their is larvae and royal jelly in them.

BoBn · May 07, 2009, 03:52:35 PM

Quote from: bullybrink on May 06, 2009, 04:57:00 PM
For some reason one side of the deep does not sit flush with the other deep and leaves a bee space between them. The bees are actually using it as another entrance right now. Should I just leave it and let them fill it with propolis or should I try to close it up somehow?

I have some boxes with similar problems that I bought as 2nds many years ago. Duct tape works temporarily. The nexttime you have the box back off of the hive measure the boxes and either add a thin wooden shim to the low side or plane off the high sides depending on what is needed. Also, tell your supplier about the defect. They don't know about a problem if nobody tells them.