Sudden Problems

timdalyiii · August 02, 2009, 04:44:25 PM

Three weeks ago I pulled two of my three honey supers and extracted. I didn't go into the brood supers at that time. When I finished extracting I put the two extracted supers back on for clean up. The third was pretty full of nectar/honey but not much was capped.

Today all three were stripped clean, so I'll start feeding.

Also when I pulled a frame out 10 out of the top brood super it was all capped honey. When I pulled frame 4 out of the top brood super it only had a few capped brood and I saw one queen cell. I was scared to pull any others because I don't want to squish any queen cells. I tried to look without pulling any frames and didn't see any others. Is there ever just one?

Should I assume it will swarm soon?

BearCountry · August 02, 2009, 05:01:54 PM

Where was the queen cell in relation to the bottom of the comb? (not the frame but the area of the comb itself) If they are at the bottom of the comb then it is usually a sign of pending swarm.

Kathyp · August 02, 2009, 05:02:42 PM

queen cells don't always mean a swam. sometimes the mean nothing and sometimes they mean that the hive wishes to replace the queen that they have. there is no reason to be afraid to check the hive. if you remove some of the end frames, you can slide the inner frames sideways and lift them without harm. you will not know what is going on, if you do not check. when you find a frame with queen cells, just put it back and move on. when you put the frames back together just slide them gently and put them back where they were.

pictures?

timdalyiii · August 02, 2009, 05:39:55 PM

I don't know what you mean by where in relation to the comb. It was in the middle of the frame.

I keep bringing my camera, but once I get into the bees I forget to take pictures.

Tomorrow I'll dig deeper and slide some frames apart.

Does it really matter at this point? There isn't much I can do stop it, from what I understand. If they swarm, Konosdad will get another swarm. I guess it's better to know.

timdalyiii · August 02, 2009, 05:42:19 PM

Also, since I didn't seem much capped brood nor any larva that it might be queenless.

I wonder what happened to her. Maybe I squished her when pulling for extraction or something.

BearCountry · August 02, 2009, 05:56:06 PM

Sorry, let me eleborate. Sometimes the entire frame wont be covered by comb. So, if the queen cell is in the middle of the frame, but is actually on the bottom edge of the actual comb, then that is more likely to be a swarm indicator. If the cell is in the middle or top area of a completely filled out frame, then it is more likely to not be a swarm. It's not a perfect sign, but it is a good guideline.

Cant think of how to explain better.

timdalyiii · August 02, 2009, 06:12:41 PM

Thank you. Now I understand. The entire frame is built out and has been used for brood quite a bit. There isn't much on it right now. The queen cell is in the upper part of it. So using your theory they may not swarm and may be replacing the queen.

Thanks for clarifying.

Eshu · August 04, 2009, 10:24:37 AM

Quote from: timdalyiii on August 02, 2009, 04:44:25 PM
Today all three were stripped clean, so I'll start feeding.

Are you feeding because they are out of stores or are you feeding because they emptied the wet supers quickly?

You mentioned there is capped honey in the brood box. I would verify they really need stores before feeding.

timdalyiii · August 04, 2009, 06:40:27 PM

Is there a rule of thumb of how many frames of capped honey they should have before you start feeding?

Pond Creek Farm · August 05, 2009, 10:29:28 PM

You would not be the first to squish a queen while inspecting or harvesting. I know I have done it. I try to be careful, but I still have done it. If you think them queenless you can either let them raise the new queen or buy one to put in there. You will find differing views on which route is better. I tried the let them raise their own route this year, and that hive is now gone.