Late October Queen Cells

[dean0]

This afternoon, I inspected my hives that were started this spring, and was surprised to find 9 queen cells along the bottom of one of the frames. As you can see my current queen is or was laying a nice brood pattern.  I didn't think this hive was too crowded because there are about 5 frames of foundation that have not been drawn. From bottom to top, this 3 box hive consists of one deep that is mostly nectar and pollen with patchy capped brood and 3 frames of undrawn foundation spaced between frames of nectar, a medium with 4 frames of brood (one with 9 queen cells) in the center with capped honey above brood and on 4 of the 6 outside frames (the other 2 frames are undrawn foundation) and a super with all 9 frames of capped honey.  Today, I added another medium box with undrawn foundation between the deep and medium with capped brood. I am hoping they will start drawing out the foundation since they are still bringing in pollen and nectar.

I am not sure what to do about the queen cells this late in the season.  I have drones but no capped drone cells so I am unsure about getting a mated queen a few weeks from now. I thought about taking out this frame and putting it in a nuc in hopes of getting the queen mated and starting a new hive.  But then again, this late in the season, I am not sure what to do since this is my first year.

What should I do or what would you do?



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Since I don't have an extractor yet and don't want to destroy all my comb by crush and strain, I only pulled one frame for myself.  Below is a picture of my first jar of honey.  Hopefully it is the first of many.



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[BBees]

Here's what I'd do - I'd artificially swarm this hive before it does it for you. Apparently, your colony wants to swarm. Swarm cells usually make excellent quality queens.

Put your honey box on a new bottom board on a different stand. Trade out 5 of the honey frames for a couple of frames of brood (with bees attached) with the queen and a couple frames of foundation from the medium on the original stand. Feed this colony sugar syrup.

I'd leave the queen cell frame, with the other frames of brood and the transferred honey frames on the original stand.

The older bees will all go back to the original hive if you don't move the new hive a couple mile away. That's ok, because there should be enough bees to keep the brood warm in the new hive. With the queen in the new hive, it should recover quickly.

The old hive will not swarm because they lost their queen and half of their brood and food. Hence, the artificial swarm.

Now if you really wanted to have fun, divide a medium into a 4 x 2-frame mating nuc. Put a frame of brood, frame of honey, and a couple of queen cells into each of the 4 nucs. Move them a couple miles away. Leave the old queen in the deep box with the remaining medium and frames above her on the old stand. Could potentially end up with 5 colonies!

Enjoy, Steve

[rdy-b]

 ** Today, I added another medium box with undrawn foundation between the deep and medium with capped brood. I am hoping they will start drawing out the foundation since they are still bringing in pollen and nectar.**

If Im reading this right you put undrawn foundation BELOW BROOD in the hopes of getting it drawn out

It is my experience that they will not draw out foundation bellow brood - also it is probably one of the most common swarm prevention techniques to put foundation or drawn comb ABOVE the brood

  :) RDY-B