Big Problem with Queen Cells

drgenegarris · May 24, 2006, 02:31:18 PM

I have two hives started from package bees this year and all seemed to be good until I noticed no queen in hive 1; Today Hive 2 has queen cells galore.

What do I need to do?

JERRY · May 24, 2006, 03:41:47 PM

check #2 for queen.Are Q-cells scattered along top & middle of comb (supercedure or replacement queens), or all along bottm (swarm cells)? In either case cut out & put 2 Q - cells UP HIGH BETWEEN 2 FRAMES IN #1 (SEALED CELLS). dont check for 2 weeks.Should find eggs.If not check 3 weeks, NO?--Buy new queen or combine hives. IF #2 is full of swarm cells they need more room for queen to lay, either another box , or (probably) slow comb builders. Since you only have 1 queen to play with, I wouldn't destroy all queen cells in #2 , in case they swarm anyway. Do nothing to #2.

Finsky · May 24, 2006, 04:22:47 PM

Quote from: drgenegarrisI have two hives started from package bees this year and all seemed to be good until I noticed no queen in hive 1; Today Hive 2 has queen cells galore.
What do I need to do?

It seems that your hive 2 is too crowdy. It want to swarm. Have you feeded syrup too much or does it get nectar outside? Have it still queen?

Hive 1: get egg laying queen. Do not raise your own. It takes too much time.

One way it to join hives.
.

drgenegarris · May 24, 2006, 05:38:56 PM

Quote from: Finsky
Quote from: drgenegarrisI have two hives started from package bees this year and all seemed to be good until I noticed no queen in hive 1; Today Hive 2 has queen cells galore.
What do I need to do?

It seems that your hive 2 is too crowdy. It want to swarm. Have you feeded syrup too much or does it get nectar outside? Have it still queen?

Hive 1: get egg laying queen. Do not raise your own. It takes too much time.

One way it to join hives.
.

I have been feeding syrup. I wanted the hives to build up fast. I think that this is proof of when you mess with a system the actors change their actions in response. They did make lots of beautiful white wax.

Momments ago I added 10 deep frames to the #2 and moved some of the lower frames around.

I will be out of town from tomorrow until Sunday. Can any of this stuff wait until then?

Brian D. Bray · May 25, 2006, 12:43:21 AM

Did you move a couple of the full frames up to the new super. That would take a lot of pressure off the hive but with a lot of queen cells it's time to settle in for a swarm watch.

Finsky · May 25, 2006, 01:38:24 AM

Quote from: drgenegarrisThey did make lots of beautiful white wax.

Again and again. You have summer and you feed syrup :P It restrict the brood area and development of colony.

Now I understand why USA is a good honey producer and why raw honey is so low price 0, 60 $/kg.

When I see you hive pictures, very often I see feeding jar in front of hive even if hive has 4 boxes.
.

Understudy · May 25, 2006, 08:10:19 AM

Quote from: Finsky
Quote from: drgenegarrisThey did make lots of beautiful white wax.

Again and again. You have summer and you feed syrup :P It restrict the brood area and development of colony.

Now I understand why USA is a good honey producer and why raw honey is so low price 0, 60 $/kg.

When I see you hive pictures, very often I see feeding jar in front of hive even if hive has 4 boxes.
.

Hi Finisky
In my photos you will see a jar in front of one of my hives. It is empty and has been since Feburary. I haven't taken the jar away for two reasons.
1. I am lazy
2. Because I cut the entrance reducer to fit with the jar. The bees have adapted to the cut. There is enough space between the jar and the edge of the reducer, that bees can come in the hive in that space. So the bees use that point as the in door and the other long notch as the out door.

They have been happy with it so I haven't changed it.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Michael Bush · May 25, 2006, 08:51:05 AM

>Again and again. You have summer and you feed syrup

All the books over here tell them to do it and they believe them. I don't understand why people feed when there is a nectar flow.

Feeding syrup is the only way I know of to make a package swarm the first year.

I'd give a frame with queen cells to the queenless hive. I'd open up the brood nest on the other with one empty frame in the middle of the brood nest and maybe even split it temporarily until the swarm fever is over and then recombine them.

Finsky · May 25, 2006, 10:00:14 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush>Feeding syrup is the only way I know of to make a package swarm the first year..

Yes, it is a good method :P

Perhaps sellers get new orders this way ..
.

drgenegarris · May 30, 2006, 02:48:36 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush>Again and again. You have summer and you feed syrup

All the books over here tell them to do it and they believe them. I don't understand why people feed when there is a nectar flow.

Feeding syrup is the only way I know of to make a package swarm the first year.

I'd give a frame with queen cells to the queenless hive. I'd open up the brood nest on the other with one empty frame in the middle of the brood nest and maybe even split it temporarily until the swarm fever is over and then recombine them.

Why in the world do all the books, etc. tell us to feed syrup? Is there a risk of starvation early on?

Brian D. Bray · May 31, 2006, 01:00:28 AM

Feeding is nursing. Feeding should be looked at the same as nursing a calf or kid goat--it keeps them alive until they can fend for themsleves during periods of little or no ability to self feed.
My rule of thumb is:
1. To feed once in the spring to boost a hive into earlier egg production (If necessary).
2. Feed once in the winter to help cap off the honey supply for the winter (If neccessary).
3. Feed a package of bees until it has 4 frames of drawn comb.
Feeding is not always necessary, is more often unadvisable, and can do more harm that good. Keep the feeding to a minimum. Unfortuanately the books forget to add this little disartation so encourage sugar sales.

Hi-Tech · May 31, 2006, 01:04:43 AM

On the subject of feeding... We are undergoing a serious drought in my area. How can I tell if this has affected the normal nectar flow and by how much? Should you feed during a long dry period? We count a lot on the privet hedge but because of the dry conditions, it bloomed and dried up in less than two weeks....

Finsky · May 31, 2006, 02:08:11 AM

Quote from: Hi-TechOn the subject of feeding... We are undergoing a serious drought in my area. ....

Give them water.

It is not honest to give sugar to bees and tell to customer that this is honey.

If hive has too few stores for living, surely you feed it.

Just now I have had very cold two weeks. I feed pollen patty that bees continue brood raising. But I do got give sugar as far as they have honey in the hive. If tomorrow good days begin and sugar will be mixed into honey.

If it is very dry, it takes many weeks before nature starts blooming even if it get rain. But still, feeding all summer is to me really strange as odd as feeding all winter along. Bees are not that petty.

Brian D. Bray · May 31, 2006, 02:35:21 AM

If you still have the perverbial Boardman feeder in the entrance of your hive fill it with pure water. The bees will draw it as necessary to cool the hive or use in other ways.

Michael Bush · May 31, 2006, 08:11:55 AM

>Should you feed during a long dry period? We count a lot on the privet hedge but because of the dry conditions, it bloomed and dried up in less than two weeks....

Only if the hives are light and only if you pull the supers off.

Hi-Tech · May 31, 2006, 09:39:48 AM

They have a close water source (my cow watering tank) and I am not looking to pull any supers anytime soon so I guess I will just wait it out.

I sure wish it would rain though... I don't even have enough grass growth to keep my cows fed...

Finsky · May 31, 2006, 10:59:44 AM

Quote from: Hi-Tech.

I sure wish it would rain though... I don't even have enough grass growth to keep my cows fed...

That is bad situation. We have in Finland worst honey years when it is hot and dry. I have followed over years that honey yiled follow amount of wheat crop. If there is no enough water for wheat nectar plants suffer too.

It is few what you can do.

If you feed sugar and bees get not enough pollen from nature, you cannot help the colony. Bees may become short living because they have not got proper food.

drgenegarris · June 05, 2006, 11:22:03 AM

last week I ordered 2 Italian queens. On Friday the queens arrived and Saturday after my radio show I went to install the queens into my two hives.

Previously, as an emergency move, I transferred a frame with queen cells from one hive to the other.

I checked the hive with the queen cells and I have eggs! I then checked the donor hive and it has some brood but no eggs. I then ran to my little wood shop and powernailed a NUC together.

I removed some brood from the hive with eggs and pollen and stores from the other hive. I created a nuc with the above plus a newly purchased queen. I then installed the second queen into the queenless and eggless hive.

Will this work? Suggestions? What should I do to help the NUC build up?

Michael Bush · June 05, 2006, 10:45:40 PM

>What should I do to help the NUC build up?

Feed them in dearths, and protect them from robbers. Use a small entrance. Keep an eye on them.

Brian D. Bray · June 06, 2006, 03:48:11 AM

Meanwhile back at the ranch the supercedure cells were probably moved to a hive without a queen from a hive that was in the process or replacing one. therby moving the queenless situation of one hive to the other. The bees will sometimes kill the existing queen after the supercedure cells are capped so insure the old queen is replaced by the new queen.