new trapout hives (queenless?)

saltybluegrass · March 27, 2019, 12:47:14 PM

I am Brand new to Beekeeping.
I caught 2 hives at 2 neighbors homes.
i framed them in 5 frame nucs, then i left the nuc boxes close to their original hives for 4-5 days. They were made from the original combs of their hives rubberbanded to foundationless frames.
They appeared happy and working. I took them home.

I brought them home and installed in 10 frame brood boxes. 5 original comb along with 5 foundation frames.
Like any new beekeeper, I checked in on them too much.
Both have shown to be developing queen cells in the middle of the frames and not the bottoms where i assume swarm cells are generated.

My questions are- How do i make sure they stay here? When do i check if those cells have produced a Q? What frames most likely will hold a queen to make it easier to find her? How long should i i feed them in top feeders? Lots of blooming here in S Fla. so they should feed themselves soon?
I dont want to open the hives again for a while.
The outside acitivity is good with pollen going in and lots of foragers flying out.
Thanks!

iddee · March 27, 2019, 01:59:58 PM

Leave them alone for a minimum 2 weeks. Then look for eggs, larva, and capped brood. "pupa".
Never look for the queen unless you plan to catch her and move her. Look for eggs. Find eggs and you know she was there in the last 3 days. That is enough to know all is well. Feed them until they quit taking it or until the second 10 frame box has a couple drawn out frames. If pollen is going in, she "and they" are going to stay.

saltybluegrass · March 27, 2019, 06:58:07 PM

thankyou

MikeyN.C. · March 27, 2019, 08:21:11 PM

You should be going into a flow? If so , let'em build their house. You've given them everything they need .

saltybluegrass · March 28, 2019, 10:25:15 PM

Am I allowed to post pictures / videos? I tried twice to post a video

iddee · March 28, 2019, 10:58:17 PM

Members are allowed, but there may be a minimum number of posts required before a new member can. Contact a moderator and send the pics to them and they will post them until you get enough posts.

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=51631.0

saltybluegrass · March 30, 2019, 10:48:24 PM

Comments?
https://youtu.be/TpmxFFxbz3w

ed/La. · March 31, 2019, 09:17:02 AM

Not much activity. When you inspected did they all have brood? With that little activity they are weak at best. Perhaps doing a combine of 2 weak hives as long as there is a laying queen in one of them is an option. Being in the south I recommend putting out some bait boxes and catch some swarms to build up your apiary. It is prime swarm season now. Also it sounds like you did a cutout not a trap out. 2 different things. Any empty box you have can be used as a bait box. Catching swarm is easier and more fun with better success rate than cutouts. The reason is cutouts tend to abscond at much higher rate. A lot of work to have them fly off a few weeks down the road. If you need any help on bait traps just ask.

saltybluegrass · March 31, 2019, 03:08:17 PM

Yeah they were cutouts - the blue box is a bought 5 frame nuc in a 10 frame now. It?s 1 week old. Supposed to be a laying queen but little activity - the first box (yellow apimaye) is blowing up and I opened her today against iddess advice and found eggs brood pollen nectarr . The queen cells disappeared. . I removed some small cross comb and added a super. The last /green apimaye box , Im not opening per Idsees advice as the activity is low -
The cedar and slow blue nuc box had very heavy frames so I assumed nectar / honey filled. Should I feed them anyway ?
And.... did I put the nucs in ten frames too early ? The commercial beek said to as they are packed w bees?

ed/La. · March 31, 2019, 04:18:10 PM

Any hive that is queen less needs to be dealt with right away. The activity in video could be robbers harvesting what's left. You could give a frame of brood if you have one to spare. If you have some clean comb put in middle of brood of strongest hive. Mark it for easy retrieval; I use a penny. Retrieve it in 3 or 4 days and give to queen less hive and they will make a queen if there is enough bees left to do it. A combine might be best option. If there is not enough bees to forage feed them. At least you have warm nights working with you. They have to keep the brood warm.

saltybluegrass · March 31, 2019, 04:32:02 PM

I should make another video as my wife records the opening next week.
How long should an installed nuc begin to show good bees per minute?

ed/La. · March 31, 2019, 05:50:19 PM

Depends on several things. It takes 21 days for bee to emerge. 1 full frame of brood equals about 3 frames of bees once emerged. A worker bees life span is about 60 days so while brood is emerging many others are dieing of old age. The quality of queen is important the flow is important. No flow and they will grow slow or not at all or shrink in numbers. This time of year figure a few brood cycles to get numbers up. If there is a lot of capped brood than you have a good start. http://blogs.evergreen.edu/terroir-zack/files/2016/05/honeybee-lifecycle.jpg

saltybluegrass · April 03, 2019, 07:21:17 PM

nm

saltybluegrass · April 03, 2019, 10:12:56 PM

The new nuc - comments ? Background music was John Prine
https://youtu.be/GPaTuDxZnCE

ed/La. · April 04, 2019, 06:43:42 AM

Was there larva? If not you don't have a laying queen. The brood looks like emerging brood not fresh brood. Plenty of honey but few bees. Have the guy you bough nuc from watch video. Perhaps return it and have him restock it. Should have more bees and brood. You don't need all that capped honey you need brood larva and eggs and a lot of it.

BeeMaster2 · April 04, 2019, 08:24:41 AM

Salty,
That is not a viable hive. Call the seller and have him replace it. There are not enough bees in that hive to cover a quarter of a frame. When you were sold the Nuc it should bee packed full of bees and need to bee put in a larger hive. That is a dead hive.
Jim

saltybluegrass · April 04, 2019, 10:39:39 AM

Thank you all - I laid in bed last night thinking about that video and I don?t remember a lot of bees in there .
The only reason I could think the bees left was the bottom boat d I bought was screened and we had some cool nights before I closed the bottom.
Brings up my other question - Is cold to my south Florida bees a higher temperature or do all bees , north and south, like the same temps?
I see activity pick up through the day so I assume 65-70 is cool to my bees but Wisconsin bees may thrive in it.

ed/La. · April 04, 2019, 11:09:11 AM

I use screen bottom boards year round. He might have made the nuc the same day he sold it. They need a little time to settle in and have fresh brood before being sold. You did nothing wrong. He needs to make it right. Is the seller local.

saltybluegrass · April 04, 2019, 12:20:34 PM

Quote from: ed/La. on April 04, 2019, 11:09:11 AM
I use screen bottom boards year round. He might have made the nuc the same day he sold it. They need a little time to settle in and have fresh brood before being sold. You did nothing wrong. He needs to make it right. Is the seller local.

Very local! 10 minutes away-
Next question what to do with these frames? I have another cutout showing life like they?ve successfully produced a q. Can they use any of this? I?m not ready for part 2 of beekeeping yet (extraction ) I?m still learning how to raise them.

saltybluegrass · April 04, 2019, 01:29:52 PM

Her response to the video-
Not sure why but it looks like they absconded. There were plenty of bees in the Nuc when you transferred correct?
Nice new wax, honey..

Jennifer 🐝 Holmes
Hani Honey Company
772-214-5165
Florida State Beekeepers Association
Slow Food Gold and Treasure Coast

i Told her I transferred them at night and cannot account for how many bees there were