Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: zan on October 25, 2005, 09:45:28 am
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In my last inspection I found one hive and two nuc without bees. I have now only bees in my first hive and may start from beginning.
I fed the bees and there was robbery or I made some mistakes with the queens or both.
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How long did you go without visiting the apiary? It sounds a little unusuall to me to think that after two nucs and one large hive are dead that I would immidiately jump to robber bees being at fault. Were there any pesticide sprayings in the area? Was there a long cold spell, nucs don't overwinter very well. WHAT HAPPENED?
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There was opportunity to buy a queen and I tried to start new nuc. I bought a new queen and transferred 2 frames to nuc. After a week I inspected the nuc. I found the queen but without mark and I supposed I transferred the queen from the hive by mistake. I found queens cells on two frames in the hives. I thought I can start a second nuc. I left one frame with queen cells in the hive and transferred a second frame with queen cells in the second nuc and two frame with capped brood. I started to feed and it seems to me all go very well. But after two or three weeks I found two nuc and the hive without bees. And now I have only one hive with bees.
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I bought a new queen and transferred 2 frames to nuc. After a week I inspected the nuc. I found the queen but without mark and I supposed I transferred the queen from the hive by mistake.
I left one frame with queen cells in the hive and transferred a second frame with queen cells in the second nuc and two frame with capped brood.
I started to feed and it seems to me all go very well. But after two or three weeks I found two nuc and the hive without bees. And now I have only one hive with bees.
Sounds odd? But I think that is connected to feeding. Some hive has robbed hive and nucs. Bees had joined to robber? Or do you have dead bees in front of hive?
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Just a thought I assume that the queen you bought was marked and the frames you gave her in the nuc carried the main hive queen (you saw an unmarked queen) This would leave the main hive queenless so they start queen cells you leave some in the main hive and start another nuc 2-3 weeks later they are empty given this and the time line and the fact they are all in a weak state. Could they have swarmed( not sure of seasons in your area) and left, leaving the hives really short of bees which queenless followed the robbing bees back to their hive or possibly killed off by the robbers just as Finsky and apis629 surmises.
If the above is correct 1 unhappy mistake (the accidental transfer of queen) has lead to this, althought it would seem the splitting was possibly late in the year. Try it next time when there is a good flow early in the year and you will hopfully have a good outcome.
Diver
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I thought you all are right.
Michael said:
Just don't weaken the other hive too much to get through the winter.
But I did right that.
I would try this in sprig but I will be in US at this time.
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Robbing is a big problem this time of year. I set up a bunch of nucs (20 five frame and 14 eight frame) and two have already been robbed out. I put #8 hardware cloth on to reduce the entrances to about 1/4" by 3/4". And still they get robbed.
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From where did you take 212 frames if i good understended?
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I combined many two frame, three frame and four frame mating nucs to make the 34 nucs.
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How did you deside between 2, 3 or 4 frame nuts. why not all 2 frame if this is enough.
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Two frame medium depth nucs work well for mating nucs in the late spring to early fall. They are not adequate for overwintering. I'm not sure how the five frame and eight frame ones will do yet.
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Even down here it's somewhat difficult to overwinter nucs(with the exception of if they have a super). It's mostly due to ability to deffend themselves more than stores. Racoons and birds are probably the biggest issue.