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Author Topic: This hive is scaring me!  (Read 3880 times)

Offline tlynn

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This hive is scaring me!
« on: March 30, 2009, 07:01:15 pm »
I did an inspection this weekend on a hive that was superceded sometime between 3 weeks ago and this past Sunday.  Two weeks ago (when I noticed the new queen) I added a second brood box because it was bursting at the seams and I hoped to keep it from swarming and by yesterday the whole box (deep w/new Duraglit) was built out and 6 frames were COMPLETELY laid with fresh eggs.  I mean end to end.  A couple of those had some larvae already developing in the centers so she had been up there a few days before, and the rest nothing but eggs.  The two frames on the outsides were filling fast with pollen and nectar. 

Brian mentioned keeping the brood box open to keep them from going into swarm mode.  Since she has already nearly "completed" the second box should I add a third deep and let her keep going and them use them for splits?  There are just so many bees they must be needing to swarm. I have 2 supers on them already and the supers were solid bees and they are already bearding. 

I didn't think I could admit it but I am getting a bit intimidated by the size of this hive.  My wife was joking that the new queen probably has mated with African drones and the hive is going to pump out thousands of KILLER BEES!!!  (She may have been a bit serious :-D)

Offline Shawn

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2009, 07:08:41 pm »
Dont know if this will help or is what your looking for but check out Michael's page under "Opening the broodnest"

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

Offline doak

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2009, 07:22:49 pm »
If the Queen is laying in top and its mostly eggs and uncapped brood, I would check the bottom deep and see if brood is hatching. If so I would do a flip flop, switch bottom for top. Not rearranging any frames. Just switch boxes as they sit.
This puts the Queen back down stairs and by the time she is ready to move up again the  capped brood, which "was" on bottom, should be hatched enough to give room.
Other wise, add another deep, or split.
JMO,  :)doak

Offline tlynn

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2009, 07:28:59 pm »
If the Queen is laying in top and its mostly eggs and uncapped brood, I would check the bottom deep and see if brood is hatching. If so I would do a flip flop, switch bottom for top. Not rearranging any frames. Just switch boxes as they sit.
This puts the Queen back down stairs and by the time she is ready to move up again the  capped brood, which "was" on bottom, should be hatched enough to give room.
Other wise, add another deep, or split.
JMO,  :)doak


The bottom is full of brood too, cycling between capped and open.  Anywhere there is an empty cell there is an egg or a larva in it.

Offline doak

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2009, 07:39:31 pm »
Sounds like an add on or split to me.
I would "not" do anything some suggest to disrupt," slow" the queen up.
 :)doak

Offline Kathyp

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2009, 07:42:22 pm »
beee happy.  wish i had one laying like that right now!  how far are you from your honey flow?  i'd say put on another brood box and if your honey season is close, start supering for that soon.  my thought is that if they are exploding with brood, you'll need to give them plenty of room for both brood and honey.  
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Offline tlynn

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2009, 08:44:49 pm »
beee happy.  wish i had one laying like that right now!  how far are you from your honey flow?  i'd say put on another brood box and if your honey season is close, start supering for that soon.  my thought is that if they are exploding with brood, you'll need to give them plenty of room for both brood and honey.  

We have flow on now.  Good old Florida orange blossoms.  One super full in 2 weeks so far.  Also, our palmetto palms are sending out flower clusters and will be opening up soon.  Lots of nectar in the pipeline.

Offline rast

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2009, 10:29:38 pm »
 Tracey, I know where you are coming from. Get a jar full of them and send them to Gainsville for peace of mind. I just refused to go get a hive that had built in a water meter box in the ground.
 Rick
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Offline tlynn

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2009, 04:58:42 pm »
Tracey, I know where you are coming from. Get a jar full of them and send them to Gainsville for peace of mind. I just refused to go get a hive that had built in a water meter box in the ground.
 Rick

Yea, I am going to give them until May and then test.  Brendhan thought it'd be pretty cool if they had African genes and ended up being calm bees!  Our inspector said at the last meeting they have caught some bees in swarm traps at Port of Tampa that have tested positive.

Offline malabarchillin

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2009, 08:49:54 pm »
I am on the opposite coast of Fla from you. I have 5 hives each have a deep and 3 mediums that are absolutely full of brood. I just requeened last weekend to help ensure they are not hybridizing, but the hives are not showing symptoms. I have not seen so much brood before.
Mike

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2009, 11:22:05 pm »
I am on the opposite coast of Fla from you. I have 5 hives each have a deep and 3 mediums that are absolutely full of brood. I just requeened last weekend to help ensure they are not hybridizing, but the hives are not showing symptoms. I have not seen so much brood before.
Mike

One of the characteristics of AHB that carries over as a survival trait is smaller brood areas because that makes absconding that much easier.  If you have 3-4 boxes of brood you shouldn't have to worry about AHB genetics. 
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Offline Ross

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2009, 11:44:26 pm »
If you can work them, why are you worried?  All hives get a bit more defensive when they get larger.  Unless they go postal, I would be tickled to death to have that hive.  Give the queen plenty of room and love them.
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Offline Understudy

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2009, 08:46:45 am »
Seems like a healthy hive.

I have been adding boxes to my hives.

1. Brood production increases this type of year in big numbers. You can easily see two deeps filled with brood.
2. The more bees there are the more defensive they get EHB or AHB. If you can work them then all is going well.
3. If they are hot then do the splits. And add new queens to the splits.


Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline tlynn

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2009, 02:29:17 pm »
Thanks all.  I have more woodenware from Mann Lake on order which out to be here early next week and will add a 3rd brood box to it.  I have some queens coming the first week of May so should be in good shape to do 2 splits by then.  Does that sound reasonable?

Offline Understudy

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Re: This hive is scaring me!
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2009, 06:30:57 pm »
Thanks all.  I have more woodenware from Mann Lake on order which out to be here early next week and will add a 3rd brood box to it.  I have some queens coming the first week of May so should be in good shape to do 2 splits by then.  Does that sound reasonable?

Look in your hive for drone cells in bulk. That is usually a sign that they are going to head toward swarm mode.
You can also look for the obvious swarm cells. Remember it is 16 days to a emerging queen.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

 
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