New queen has been busy!

[Terrex]

We opened the new hive today to see if the queen took...  "CAPPED EGGS AND HONEY!" On about 5 frames.   I am in shock.  The fella came to check my hives for beetles...found none and told me to get a super ready in another 1 to 2 weeks.  Are you kidding me?!?!  Already?? 

Good grief!!..  I am so thrilled!

Then he looked over at an empty nuke and walked over to it.  He said that he thought that I had only one hive...I do, but was hoping to catch some bees in it...only had Lemongrass oil and frames in it...but there are bees coming in and out of it.  A real surprise to me... We watch to see if it was bees from the hive...Nope...not that we could see.  Me thinks that we are about to get real busy around here.

Teresa

[AliciaH]

Congratulations, Teresa!  Sounds like you are off and running!  Did you hive a package or a nuc?  Either way, sounds like they mean business! 

I have to admit some jealousy of the warmer climates.  The Pacific Northwest is experiencing some odd weather; my bees don't know whether to swarm or shut down for a 2nd winter!

Have a great spring!

[annette]

Looks like you got lucky and attracted a swarm into that empty nuc.  This same thing just happened to me last week. A fabulous experience for sure.

Have fun with it all.

Annette

[Brian D. Bray]

I always keep an extra hive with a few drawn combs in it in the bee yard.  Some years I don't get anything, other years I'll catch several.  I probably average a swarm every 3 years that way.  The nice thing is that the swarms that take up residence in bait hives within the apiary are hardly ever from your own hives.

[annette]

I always keep an extra hive with a few drawn combs in it in the bee yard.  Some years I don't get anything, other years I'll catch several.  I probably average a swarm every 3 years that way.  The nice thing is that the swarms that take up residence in bait hives within the apiary are hardly ever from your own hives.

Several people asked me if that swarm that arrived was from my own hives.  Well when I did the inspections there wasn't any evidence of them coming from my hives. So Brian this is your observation and as usual you are correct from my experience.

[indypartridge]

We opened the new hive today to see if the queen took...  "CAPPED EGGS AND HONEY!"

Sounds like you're off and running and have a great colony.

Just a note on terminology:  eggs aren't capped, eggs hatch and become larva. Larva are capped when they pupate.

[Tommyt]

Sounds great, your off and running
I wounder if you should feed the new arrivals in the nuc ???

Tommyt