Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Wis Bee on May 12, 2005, 12:29:31 am

Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Wis Bee on May 12, 2005, 12:29:31 am
I installed 2 packages of bees 2 weeks ago into hives composed of
  frames with new foundation. ( one of these colonies did not last more
  than 4 or 5 days).

  I opened the other hive today to look around and take a couple of
  pictures. The bees have built up comb on 6 or 7 seven frames, it
  appears that I had 1 frame spaced too far apart from the next frame
  as the bees built a double layer of comb on this frame.

  With any luck the links to pictures of frames will be below.
  If the pictures are there, what other information can you infer
  from them?

 
   

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid168/p94be22331e6c94550da26110d8e275d9/f4264c4f.jpg.thumb.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid168/pbd52d8ef32ad55a6f8b2616701315345/f4264c3d.jpg.thumb.jpg)


 Thanks,

 John
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: LEAD PIPE on May 12, 2005, 09:11:35 am
What killed the first hive?
Title: Re: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Robo on May 12, 2005, 09:19:50 am
Quote from: Wis Bee

  With any luck the links to pictures of frames will be below.
  If the pictures are there, what other information can you infer
  from them?


Pictures are kind of small, so it is hard yto really see them.  From the second one I would have to agree that you had the frames too far apart.  It is key to keep the frames stacked tightly against each other when giving foundation.  You need to cut off all the wrongly drawn comb and get the hive straightened out now.  If you wait it will only get worse.  If you can cut the comb off in one piece, you can install it in an empty frame (rubber bands holding it) so their work had not gone to waste.

You learn by trial and error.  Now you understand the importance of 10 frames tightly stacked (leave any extra space between the end frame and super wall) when using foundation.

Good luck....


Did the other hive die, or abscond?
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Chad S on May 12, 2005, 10:06:49 am
Just a thought with my experience of late, and bees robbing each other.  If it seems like you have twice as many bees as what you started with in one hive maybe they combined for what ever reason.  I also have some of those beautiful Wild combs that you've got there.  I cut them out, but never thought to use them again thanks for the suggestion Robo.
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Wis Bee on May 12, 2005, 10:44:17 am
Thanks for the reply's.
   I will give your suggestion a try, Robo.  
 
   How do you get pictures to appear bigger, on my computer they
   are quite large but once the pictures are at image station they are
  only 100 by 75 pixels?

 The bees in the first hive did die. After the first  day you could
  see that there was noticeably less activity in front of this hive than
 the other and it dwindled down to nothing.  One difference
 was that the queen did not get out of the cage and I had to
 manually release it.
 But by then there was not much activity left in the hive.
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Miss Chick-a-BEE on May 12, 2005, 11:29:54 am
About the pictures:

When you go to your imagestation folders, click on the picture you are choosing...... it will show up much larger. From there you can right click, choose "properties", then get THAT URL to post the picture. The small picture can be useful if you do things this way:

(http://link or address to small picture)
click for larger image (http://link or address to large picture)


But if you just want the large picture to show:

(http://link or address to large image)

Beth
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Wis Bee on May 12, 2005, 11:42:20 am
Oh, I guess that works alot better,

 Thanks,  Beth
 



(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid168/pbd52d8ef32ad55a6f8b2616701315345/f4264c3d.jpg)


 (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid168/p94be22331e6c94550da26110d8e275d9/f4264c4f.jpg)
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Robo on May 12, 2005, 12:13:58 pm
ah much better.

The second one looks very good with solid brood pattern & pollen.

If the first one with the excess comb doesn't have eggs in it, I would just cut it off and not try to install it in an empty frame.  It is hard to tell, but appears to be a lot of drone comb.  Use your judgement.

I would also try and figure out what did the other hive in.  I have never had a package just die off.  Did you feed them sugar syrup?
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Michael Bush on May 12, 2005, 12:25:52 pm
Looks like DuraGilt and you either put 9 frames in the box or you spaced the 10 frames out instead of pushing them together in the center.

Cut the comb off that is out from the face of the foundation, flip the frame 180 degrees and push the frames tightly together in the center.  If you only have 9 frames, add another.
Title: 2nd week inspection
Post by: Wis Bee on May 12, 2005, 02:22:17 pm
Robo,
    I had sugar syrup in an entrance feeder and a Bee-Pro Patty
    ( from Mann-Lake) inside the hive.

  Michael,

    Yes, it is Duragilt foundation; I did have 10 frames in the
    box and did try to even the space out over the whole box
   rather than push the frames tightly together towards the middle.


   Thanks,

  John