Received new equipment! First real inspection?

[harvey]

Hello all,  Real quick I started with a swarm I caught and a borrowed deep brood box.  I then ordered another brood box and since have put it on.  Now I have received my new equipment and am ready to open hive and see what I have.  I then want to move the bees to a new brood box so i can return the borrowed one.  It is set up by a friend to move bees.  Bottom is screwed on.  I recieved another new deep brood box, two supers, a new bottom board, top cover and inner cover.  I also picked up a pair of bee gloves and a jacket and veil combo.

Sunday I plan on putting the bees in the new brood box.  I would like to install the new frames too but the bees have the old one all built out.  I plan on taking all the frames from the old brood box and putting them in the new one.  Then putting that on the new bottom board.  I will check the top brood box and see how far along they are in that.  I do know they have it glued tight to the inner cover and top cover right now so they are working in the top box.  If that is 70 or 80 percent full I will add a queen excluder and a super.   I will take pictures as I go to share with who ever would like to see them and tell me what I am looking at.  Then I can return my borrowed items and I will have all the componets of a full hive.  Any advice?  I could use some.  What all will I be looking for?  I know to replace all frames the same order?  Other than that?  Wish me luck,  So far I am enjoying having the bees and they have been very docile for me.  I am hoping they are liking there new home.

[mick]

Sounds like you have the general jist of things.

You have to tell us how many frames are involved in the brood box and the new equipment, what size supers.

Id ditch the queen excluder, my limited experience confirms what many say, they are really bee excluders.

[iddee]

Never install an excluder below foundation only. Put the super on, let them start drawing comb in it, then "if you must" install the excluder.

[harvey]

Ok well they are not ready for a super yet and I probably will ditch the excluder at least for this season.  I moved the bottom brood box into a new box.  I wasn't very impressed with there work yet.  I think maybe I shouldn't even have a second brood box on yet as they havn't drawn all that much out on the first.  There were four or five frames with some new capped brood.  I did find two or three frames total that were very heavy and were full of honey or nectar or syrup or something.  These were not capped.  When I put the second brood box on I had taken two frames covered in bees and put in there in the beginning.  They are still in the second brood box with capped brood so i think that is ok.  The brood box that I originaly had put the bees in had drawn comb in it.  They are all working those frames and that is where the capped brood is.  Not that I looked all that hard but I didn't see any drone cells, or queen cells.  I did see two bees that stood out.  not that much bigger if any but they had bright orange rings around there rear legs?  I am going to post this info on a new topic or thread too to see what others think.

[Brian D. Bray]

Ok well they are not ready for a super yet and I probably will ditch the excluder at least for this season.  I moved the bottom brood box into a new box.  I wasn't very impressed with there work yet.  I think maybe I shouldn't even have a second brood box on yet as they havn't drawn all that much out on the first.  There were four or five frames with some new capped brood.

 
Bees will only draw comb under their feet, so unless there is enough bees to expand onto ajoining frames they will stop building comb and wait until enough brood hatches to force them onto another frame at which  time they'll draw comb on that frame.  Etc, etc, and so on.

I did find two or three frames total that were very heavy and were full of honey or nectar or syrup or something.  These were not capped.

Uncapped stores means unripe stores, those are the cells from which the hive will consume daily nourishment and continue to cure into honey.

When I put the second brood box on I had taken two frames covered in bees and put in there in the beginning.  They are still in the second brood box with capped brood so i think that is ok.  The brood box that I originaly had put the bees in had drawn comb in it.

It is best to leacve the brood chamber in tact and let the bees increase it size at their own pace.  Those frames of uncapped stores would have worker better for baiting the super as it wouldn't have forced the bees to reconfigure their cluster area into a form that might expose some to chill (die off).

 They are all working those frames and that is where the capped brood is.  Not that I looked all that hard but I didn't see any drone cells, or queen cells.  I did see two bees that stood out.  not that much bigger if any but they had bright orange rings around there rear legs?  I am going to post this info on a new topic or thread too to see what others think.

Not seeing queen cells means they are not yet in a swarm mode so the supering was done in time if not a bit early which is better than too late.  It also means they are satisified with they queen they have.
Why start a new topic or thread, are your afraid your questions won't get answered on this one?