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Author Topic: An upcoming challenge.  (Read 5732 times)

Offline SamboRoberts

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An upcoming challenge.
« on: November 26, 2013, 07:32:25 am »
With my first hive, I ordered two packages from Hornsby Beekeeping. One queen was DOA, but because I have my bees out in the sticks, getting a replacement queen in a hurry wasn't an option, so I decided to combine the two hives using the newspaper method.

I emailed Atif, he offered to send out a replacement queen. My preference was for a discount equal to the cost of a queen on a future purchase.

Anyway, because I'm greedy and impatient (and cashed up!), I ordered another two packages yesterday. Hornsby Beekeeping Supplies want to send two complete packages and an extra queen to make up for the one that was DOA. I can understand their reasoning for doing so rather than offering a discount, so I agreed. But here's the challenge...

I've got one hive so far where the first bees emerged from cells 4-5 days ago. I'm running 8 frame hives. I'll have one hive, 2 new packages and three new queens. Obviously I don't want to waste a new queen, so my theory, so far, is to split the current hive.

Exactly how I'll go about that, I've got no idea at this stage. The last couple of inspections, I've not been able to find the queen. I'm thinking of splitting one of the new packages into two hives, with one queen per hive and adding one or two frames of brood from the current hive to each new hive.

What do you think of that brainwave?

Offline Oak

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2013, 08:15:14 am »
Hi SamboRoberts,

I won't offer advice as I am a complete novice.

I just want to mention that there are split methods that make use of a queen excluder so you don't have to find the queen.

I hope an experienced beekeeper can answer your question.

Regards

Offline HammerGa

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2013, 10:28:31 am »
I get stuck on the hive you can't find the queen in.  If there is no queen there that is where you need her.

Offline asprince

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2013, 02:19:06 pm »
Ideally it would be best to split the first hive but if you cant find the queen I would divide the two new packages into three and place a queen in each. To prevent drift, I would not place the new splits/packages close to each other.


Good Luck,

Steve 
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline SamboRoberts

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2013, 03:28:50 pm »
I get stuck on the hive you can't find the queen in.  If there is no queen there that is where you need her.
Oh, I know there's a queen there, I just haven't been able to find her the last couple of times I've looked. On Saturday, for example, I couldn't find her, but I did see plenty of eggs.

Moots

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2013, 08:13:18 pm »
Sambo,
I'm a first year Beek and have never done this...but want to say I've heard/read of it as being affective.  You may want to consider this as a possible option.

Not sure of the best or least intrusive way to pull it off, but here's the basic concept.

Shake all the bees off your existing frames and place them in a second box...place a queen excluder on top of your existing box and then place the box with all the existing brood frames above the queen excluder. Give it some time, how long I'm not sure...But it's my understanding that all the bees will move up to cover the brood, leaving your queen either alone or virtually alone in the lower box.  Hence, easy to find.

Offline SamboRoberts

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2013, 04:38:07 am »
Thanks, everyone for your input. Here's my plan of attack so far.

1. I've just knocked together a nucleus hive, minus lid and baseboard (I'll use something from my hive parts when I get back to the shack where my bees are).
2. Find and isolate the queen in my current hive.
3. Remove 2 frames of brood & bees from current and place in the nuc with the new queen.
4. Install remaining two packages and queens into 8 frame hive bodies as per normal.

Offline SamboRoberts

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2013, 03:23:10 am »
Well, I've now got four hives, but it didn't all go according to plan...Namely, the weather was crap (overcast, a bit of rain, windy) and I couldn't find the queen in the original hive.

Here's what I ended up doing:

1. Install both packages of bees into their hives.
2. Search for queen in original hive.
3. Get stung.
4. Realise that I should really be using smoke.
5. Search for queen in original hive.
6. Mishandle a frame of bees.
7. Get stung.
8. Realise that I can't find the queen and I should get the hives closed up soon.
9. Shake bees off three frames of sealed brood comb from the original hive and transfer them to the fourth hive.
10. Shake some bees from the third hive into the fourth hive and put the last queen in the fourth hive.


That was Friday's effort. I had a quick peek this morning before leaving to come back to the city and the bees were still eating out the candy from the queen cages. All three new queens were alive on arrival, so things went fairly smoothly. Also, this time I was prepared, I gave them a squirt with sugar syrup shortly after picking them up from the courier depot just in case they'd run out of syrup in their feeder cans.

« Last Edit: December 01, 2013, 03:35:44 am by SamboRoberts »

Offline Oak

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2013, 03:58:26 am »
Hi SamboRoberts,

Sounds like you did the best you could with what you had at the time, well done. I hope you end up with four strong hives.

Are you going to feed?

Oak

Offline SamboRoberts

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2013, 04:33:40 am »
Are you going to feed?

Oak
One of the new hives (the double deep) has a feed can, but I'm away during the week, so they're just going to have to get by. The two hives in the background have an open feeder between them. I topped it up this morning before leaving to come back to town.

I've got plenty of plants and shrubs flowering in my yard right now, plus the wattle is flowering in the area. I'm on the edge of a small town as well, so there're plenty of local gardens for them to forage from.

Offline Oak

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2013, 05:20:23 am »
Thanks SamboRoberts,

I am always interested in whether people feed new hives or not.

Cheers

Offline SamboRoberts

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Re: An upcoming challenge.
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2013, 05:54:49 am »
Just remember that I've only been in the game for less than a month at this stage. With my first hive, I only fed them for the first couple of days and even then they managed to get by okay.

I just think that bees have been getting by for aeons without us just fine.