Author Topic: Oh Crap! Overcrowded bees. Fast answers needed. (Read 11573 times)

Understudy · « **on:** April 04, 2006, 10:33:47 pm »

You know I can't go anywhere.
I had 10 days in Chicago to work on a project. I ask my wife to keep an eye on the hives. I knew it was close to getting ready to swarm. However I was hoping I could wait because I had to go to Chicago and in the moring I have to go to Tallahassee and then Miami and then Sarasota. So outside of tonight I am pretty much screwed until this weekend.
Well I got home a little after 8 pm and I go and my nuc has bees busting at the seams, literally. The entrance to the hive is so packed I can't believe it.
So at 8:30 pm I am going in and taking a peek in the hive.
darn, it is crowded in there. Every frame is covered with bees.

I have ordered some medium frames and a couple of medium boxes. However that won't arrive until after the weekend. I have a deep box and deep frames. I could use those if I have to.

So here is my question:
Do I move my bees tonight into a deep or do I wait until the weekend?

Nothing like a late night issue to bring one home again. I thing the honey-do list is looking better, because I can always put off the items that are on it.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Robo · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2006, 10:45:39 pm »

Did you see any queen cells? Was there any fresh eggs? They won't swarm until they have established some queen cells. The queen will also stop laying and slim down in preparation for flight.

If it were me, I would give them the extra deep for space and hope to prevent them from getting the swarm impulse. Once they have the impulse, it is harder to stop them.

Understudy · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2006, 10:59:51 pm »

There were queen cells forming when I left I doubt they have had a chance to do a mating flight. The nuc box they are in is full. So should I move them tonight to the deep with some extra frames or wait till the weekend?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Robo · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2006, 11:04:57 pm »

I missed the part about it being a nuc, sorry. You should be OK till the weekend.

Understudy · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2006, 11:08:42 pm »

Thanks Robo, I will now breath.

I have to admit it is a lot of friggen bees.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Finsky · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2006, 01:04:52 am »

If your nuc has medium size frames, put the nuc box over the deep. Arrange inner cover and water cover. Let bees enlarge downwards into deep.

Joseph Clemens · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2006, 02:42:07 am »

You might want to stop feeding them. In the image you posted there is an entrance feeder shown. If they are strong and have already built up as you describe. Too much artificial honey-flow can be an insentive for them to believe its time to swarm.

You indicate you are in Florida. My understanding is that there is almost always some sources of nectar and pollen. Even here in Tucson, Arizona where we've had an extremely dry 8 months or more I haven't had to feed, the bees were always busy bringing in pollen and nectar all winter long - despite intermittent frosts, but very little rain.

Finsky · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2006, 03:20:12 am »

Quote from: Joseph Clemens

You indicate you are in Florida. My understanding is that there is almost always some sources of nectar and pollen.

That is true. If bees have good nectar source they fill small hive during one week. Feeding sugar is bad thing. Hive needs all cells for brood.

Understudy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2006, 06:32:59 am »

The feeder jar was there from before I left for Chicago. I never took it out to make it work like an entrance reducer on the nuc. I had put the feeder jar specfically to increase the numbers because they were low. The frames in the nuc are deeps I had hoped to eventually move the bees to a hive composed of mediums.

I also took a look at my second hive it also is packed with bees. I am going to have to add a body and some frames to that, they are not quite at the stage where my nuc is, population wise.

Okay I am off to work. Thanks for all the help, keep posting I will read them when I get home tonight which will be about 2 am(GMT -4,DST). :shock:

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Jack Parr · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2006, 07:54:59 am »

Brendhan, did you actually pull up each frame to see if in fact the bees had built the wax cells ?

If so, what is in the cells? Empty, filled with nectar, filled with pollen? filled with capped brood ? eggs ? larva ?

Bees run around the frames/foundation seemingly doing nothing at times.
A nuc can actually hold a large amount of bees and be OK.

And speaking of a box full-o- bees, wait until you have a stack of two deeps and maybe two, three, or more honey super boxes stacked for being impressed with " boxes full-o-bees :!:

What do your Bee acquaintances around you say about swarming ?
Is there no particular season for swarming ? Could it be anytime ? What are the conditions the Florida beekeepers must be aware of? Etc etc. Those are the questions that you should have answered about your particular area IMO.

Finsky · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2006, 08:04:23 am »

Forecast

http://www.wunderground.com/US/FL/West_Palm_Beach.html

It seems that temperature is not so warm in Palm Beach.

Apis629 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2006, 04:09:59 pm »

Actually, up here a flow is just ending and I had one colony swarm in the middle of it. Maybe that's what's going on over in West Palm Beach. It's close enough that I'd immagine alot of the blooming conditions being simmilar.

Finsky · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2006, 01:51:45 am »

Like Jack says, it is better look inside what is going there.
If you have honey flow, probably hive is full honey and syrup feeding.
It is imposible to nurse bees if you do not follow what is inside.

Understudy · « **Reply #13 on:** April 06, 2006, 08:41:59 am »

Hi quick couple of notes before I run to work,
When I got home the other night and looked at the hive. I could not see the cells very well but it was dark. What I could see was so many bees that they were piled on top of one another and bursting out the entrance.
The box was so full I had to get the bees flying so I could put the frame back in. I didn't want to keep it open for long because it was night and I didn't need to deal with a bunch of mad bees at night.

My neighbors don't need a swarm. My neighbors are sorta ok with my bees.
I am not going to change this to sorta bad because a swarm has gone visiting.

The temps are going be up in the 80F/27C or higher so I would definitly say the weather is going to be good.

I will try to keep the pics I have in the first post up, but I have to tweak out the load balancing which is something that takes time. Unfortunatly I don't have that.

I am off to work. I will read your replies late tonight.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Finsky · « **Reply #14 on:** April 06, 2006, 08:51:00 am »

Give them another box, gooood heavensssss :shock:.

When you next night go to home, lift another box on it. Ask your secretary to buy this forehead lamp

Understudy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 06, 2006, 01:07:52 pm »

Sneaking on to the computer here at the cafe for lunch.

I do plan on giving them a box. I was going to move them out of the nuc. I was just hoping I could do it during the day on Saturday.

I could move them at night if I had to but that was the orginal question was do I have time to wait because my frames are suppose to arrive tomorrow for my medium. Otherwise I have to put them in a deep.

So hopefully they won't vacate the hive in 48 hours.

I have a lamp, don't have a secretary, can you send me a cute one?

This is going to be interesting isn't it?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Finsky · « **Reply #16 on:** April 06, 2006, 02:01:08 pm »

Quote from: Understudy

... don't have a secretary, can you send me a cute one?

USA has blaimed Finland that we do not stop human trade through country. Just now it is difficult to serve you. Sorry.

Jack Parr · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2006, 07:21:32 am »

Quote from: Finsky

Quote from: Understudy
... don't have a secretary, can you send me a cute one?

USA has blaimed Finland that we do not stop human trade through country. Just now it is difficult to serve you. Sorry.

Interesting. Could you refer me to an article or some press exposure on the subject.

Is it about ALL those Russian girls wanting to leave their country to come here to the US? and find some RICH Americans :?:
:lol:

Finsky · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2006, 08:18:02 am »

Quote from: Jack Parr

Interesting. Could you refer me to an article or some press exposure on the subject.

Here if you manage with Finnish
http://iportti.net/WebX?50@782.XVlhadflnfD.0@.4b46df45

Jack Parr · « **Reply #19 on:** April 10, 2006, 07:31:35 am »

Quote from: Finsky

Quote from: Jack Parr

Interesting. Could you refer me to an article or some press exposure on the subject.

Here if you manage with Finnish
http://iportti.net/WebX?50@782.XVlhadflnfD.0@.4b46df45

Well Finsky, it seems that my system/computer knows that I am not very good at Finnish, and your site will not come up :!:

Soooo I'll just have to take your word for it :?: Actually I have seen pics of some of those " WALKING and TALKING Queens, supposedly from Mother Russia and they are not toooo bad. Really. If I weren't already hooked up to a good cook I might be interested myself, but...

Actually some of those " mail order bride " situations, from different countries, often turn out badly for the women/girls who get involved.

And speaking about Russians, actual queen BEES, I have just had a surprise by my Russian Queened colony that was my prize producer. It seems like the Queen has disappeared or something happened. I asked a couple of beeks what the problem could be since about 1 month and 1/2 ago that hive was building up, it seems rapidly, but last week, there is some spotty brood left and no eggs or larve. There is suppose to be some unpridictable preformance with the Russians concerning brood build up???
In any event, today, I have some new queens and I am going into that hive and install an Italian Mama to rectify the situation. In fact I just yesterday acquired four Italian SMR Mamas to replace queens in four boxes. We'll see how that goes.

Those Russian Queens are supposed to be more Verroa Mite tolerent but now I am finding out, from the beek who sold them to me, THAT he also not too enchanted with the Russians, although he IS in the Russian Queen program being promoted by the Louisiana State University and US Department of Agriculture here in Louisiana.