Shakerbeeman, I love that you love my stories. I love to tell tales, and they are not tall :) ;) I love to put my feelings onto the keyboard, to make other people's day just alittle more interesting, reading about the strange and wonderful things that I write about. It makes my day to think that I may have put a smile onto another's face, smile, smile. A smile is a wonderful thing.
Sounds like you are doing great for your poor little colony that has these hungry little girls trying to steal all their food. Your brother may become a beekeeper, just like you, yeah!!!! Another human brought into the depths of the love of the honeybee and all the mysteries that surround.
Yep, I have the same thing, a super strong colony that was going to swarm, did a cut down split, so prevented that swarm, but still, sometime later, this queen was so bent on raising babies that they eventually got their way and swarmed, now a weaker mother colony and a weaker swarm colony. I should combine and kill one of the queens, but I am still in the experimenting stage and want all the experience that I can muster. I have reluctance to combine and kill either of these queens because they are both new queens, born this summer and should be prolific layers next season. If they follow in their mother's footsteps, then they will be. They may have a swarming tendency, but oh well, that is another strong learning curve. How to take proper care of the bees to prevent swarming. I have learned lots again this past summer, plan on learning lots and lots more, until I just can't "learn no more", ha!!!!! ;) :) :) :) :) And that will be the day!!!! Have a wonderful day, best of our great life. Cindi