Brood wall to wall

bee-nuts · May 29, 2010, 11:00:04 PM

I have seen brood wall to wall on plastic frames but not on comb drawn from foundation. Today I looked at a nuc and I saw the best brood pattern I have ever seen. i kid you not it had brood packed wall to wall tight on both sides with hardly any cells missed. The frame is wood, and it came with a nucleus colony I bought I think. Anyway, Im a bit paranoid that this looks like AHB pattern. Have you ever seen brood like this on wax foundation. Only thing I can think of is maybe plastic cell foundation but I have not seen it from my bee people. As far as I know they dont use it. The bees also have a much more pointy butt than I have seen in past. The queens I have got this year are from Cali an Florida. Im just mostly curious and hope this is not just an AHB trait and that I just have a queen with great brood pattern. This nuc was for sale. I think I will have to keep it. Sorry no pics but I can get them Tuesday when I go back home.

Kathyp · May 29, 2010, 11:36:26 PM

you shouldn't have AHB in Wisconsin. sounds like you got a really nice queen there. might be because of limited room in the nuc?

fish_stix · May 29, 2010, 11:48:54 PM

We have some of those too! Wall to wall 8 framers, including both sides of the outside frames. BTW, there is no visible difference between AHB and other same species bees. The experts say the AHB is slightly smaller, but not determinate by the naked eye. The only sharp point on their tail is that dang stinger!

bee-nuts · May 30, 2010, 12:43:40 AM

Quote from: kathyp on May 29, 2010, 11:36:26 PM
you shouldn't have AHB in Wisconsin. sounds like you got a really nice queen there. might be because of limited room in the nuc?

queens from Cali and Florida. I have also noticed a few bees that like to pester me when I walk near the yard and follow me to my car and persist for some time. These queens are supposed to be from Minnesota Hygienic breeder queens and open mated. The ones from Florida seem to be the culprits. The ones that got hit by the bear I know are from Cali and as easy as they were to deal with after that make me comfortable with them. The ones from Florida were worse then the ones hit by the bear when I opened one up and frames stuck to the inner cover, and went crazy. I have heard that MN-HG are a bit more aggressive so at the moment Im passing it of as that. Most have had plenty of time to transform in part to there mothers workers so Im not too worried. But they do get excited much easier than my colonies from last year The queen in the nuc I refer too has only been there for about two weeks so it will be a while before I can be sure of anything.

Paynesgrey · May 30, 2010, 01:00:48 AM

Two of our hives lay like that. It is beautiful. The one Queen will not lay on the cells that have wires in them though, so there are stripes on those ones. She lays wall to wall on the plastic frames though.

melliphile · May 30, 2010, 01:01:25 AM

Yes, I think you're just being paranoid. Sounds like you have one hell of a queen! I'd give them more space or make a split.

bee-nuts · May 30, 2010, 01:26:52 AM

Quote from: melliphile on May 30, 2010, 01:01:25 AM
Yes, I think you're just being paranoid. Sounds like you have one hell of a queen! I'd give them more space or make a split.

Its a nuc I made for sale. I will box it and keep it. I got my hands full with splits, a couple swarms, and I have six queens coming from so called mite resistant source. I am broke from keeping up with boxes so I am calling it quits for splits this year.

melliphile · May 30, 2010, 11:38:27 AM

I know what you mean. I am running out of homes for all these swarms!

lenape13 · May 30, 2010, 12:31:21 PM

I have lots of room, lots of boxes, but no swarm calls. Guess it's just not my year....

AllenF · May 31, 2010, 10:54:40 PM

I have 6 hives in the basement put together just for the swarms this year, and not a one this year, not even from any of my hives. Last year, half a dozen. This year, nothing.