It has now been about six weeks since the hives have been installed. The progress of the hives has been slowed by the queen problems in hive#2 and the movement of frames of capped brood from hive #1 into hive #2. But things have now stabilized and both hives should now progress into two story hives, which is my immediate goals for these hives.
Hive #1
Hive #1’s bottom hive body today contains six frames of capped brood and two additional frames with a combination of eggs and larvae. The rest of the frames in this box (which is the original box the package bees were installed in) are either drawn or almost drawn. A week ago I added a second hive body to hive #1. In the last few days the bees have almost completely drawn three frames of foundation in this box. Today I “checker boarded” these three drawn frames with undrawn frames. This movement of frames will facilitate the more rapid drowning of the other frames. See the diagram below for what I did.
Below is before movement of frames
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
Below is after movement of frames
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Foundation |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Foundation |
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Newly drawn comb |
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Foundation |
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Foundation |
Hive #2
Hive #2 has experiened queen problems and is is further behind for this reason. Queen problems, often the loss of queens or the failure of new queens to lay eggs, are among the most likely difficulties that new beekeepers may face with new hives, created from package bees, or even sometimes with nucs. These hives were not immune from these difficulties. About two weeks ago I installed a new queen in hive #2, last Friday I observed that the bees had freed her from the queen cage, two days ago and today I observed both her and numerous eggs in the cells of the hive. Due to the movement of frames of brood from hive#1, the population of hive#2, while smaller than hive#1, is good and there are about 7 to 8 frames either drawn into comb or being drawn. Next week I will place a second deep hive body on this hive.
A special thanks to Jim Coss of The Honey & Bee Connection, who provided the package bees and hives for this series of posts!
Phil,
I too had quenn problems from the package I installed this year. She was released and I never saw her again, however, I was content because I had found eggs and larva and upon another inspection found a good pattern of capped brood on two or three frames. But then it was like someone “turn off the facet” and had no more eggs or larva and couldn’t find the queen anywhere. A third inspection a few days later I found queen cells concluding my suspicions were correct, I added two frames of brood from a strong hive. Now 10-11 days later one has emerged another was open revealing a queen Pupa- I assume the emerged queen killed her, yet two were still capped. I suspect she had just emerged that day and closed immediatlely. It was earlier that afternoon my wife called me at work to tell me there was a great amount outside the hive body, even sending me a picture, of a great amount outside the hive- almost like swarming activity or maybe bearding- but then they were gone, back inside, we do not know? Do they do this when a queen is doing orientation flights or leaving for her nuptiual flight? Thanks for your input and sorry for the length.
Wes Henry
Wes
Your queen experience was similar to mine in one of the packges I installed.
A good question regarding the flying activity. I have read (but not sure where) that sometimes a number of bees will fly with the queen on her orientation flights. But your wife may have seen a large number of young bees making orientation flights. I have observed similar behavior in my hives and also thought swarming or perhaps robbing was occuring. But after a few minutes the activity stopped. This always seems to happen on a sunny afternoon, which is when young bees make their orientation flights. These orientation flights of workers says Mark Winston in “The biology of the honey bee”, are less than five minutes in duration.
Nice to hear from you.
Phil