Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Highlander on April 28, 2013, 06:41:51 pm
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Hive #1 seems to have lost its queen! Should I combine with hive #2?
Hive #1
(http://s17.postimg.org/4a3gopkcr/IMG_0205.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/4a3gopkcr/)
(http://s17.postimg.org/lkpa2zmmj/IMG_0206.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/lkpa2zmmj/)
(http://s17.postimg.org/xnulqjxor/IMG_0207.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/xnulqjxor/)
Hive #2
(http://s11.postimg.org/btpsgvlfz/IMG_0208.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/btpsgvlfz/)
(http://s11.postimg.org/7w2irgymn/IMG_0209.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/7w2irgymn/)
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Yes! Unless you can get them a mated Queen ASAP...or they are done for.
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i see eggs in those hive 1 pics. looks like you may have a new queen just started laying? look up and to the right of that open queen cell.
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i am hoping you have more bees in there than what you are showing in either hive?
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Kathyp; yes, in both, although hive #1 has less then they should. I see the eggs in the comb, which I could not see while I was in the hive. Is that queen or workers laying those? I am going to go back into that hive again after dinner and take a longer look around. Also, Hive #1 is very docile, and has been from the start, hive #2 had a loss of several thousand bees due to poor handling by the shipper and they are super aggressive, but seem to be doing well. I am also not happy with the frame feeder and will replace them with top feeders made from 1/2 gal mason jars.
So with an obvious queen cell and eggs should I leave them too it?
Thanks to you all!
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if you have eggs placed in the center bottom of the cells, that is from a queen. laying workers tend to lay on on or toward the sides because they can't get deep enough into the cells.
a new queen will misfire and lay more than one in a cell sometimes and even to the side sometimes, but most should be where they belong. it's hard to tell, but those look ok even those there are a couple of doubles. + laying workers rarely have a nice brood pattern. they tend to lay scattered drone brood all over the hive. that looks like a nice pattern.
i'd go back an find the queen, or take pictures of every frame, both sides. then keep an eye on them. i hope that frame was cleared for the pictures and that's not representative of the number of bees per frame?
take the pics down into the cells. post them and let us have another look.
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OK, that sounds good, and is a relief. I went back and changed out the frame feeder for a hive top feeder and looked again for the queen, didn't find her but saw more eggs laid. I think seeing the queen cells threw me a bit, not what I was expecting to see. So I can assume from what can be seen that the hive is doing ok. I will try and get more pictures later in the week, rain for the next couple of days.
Thank you for looking at the pictures, I have no experience and no one local that can help.
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i agree with kathyp. where are the bees? none of those combs have enough bees on them.
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I shook them off the frames to get pictures of the comb. Both packages, 4 lbers, were installed three weeks ago and weather was terrible, cold and wet, temps dipping into the low 20s and highs in the upper 30s/low 40s for the first week and a half. Lots of dead bees out front of the hives. Plus I had frame feeders, which I replaced today with half gallon mason jar as top feeders. Hive #2 arrived with several thousand dead and starving. I expected that to be my problem hive but they are very aggressive and obviously determined.
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if there are enough bees to care for that brood, and nothing else goes wrong, i think hive 1 will catch up. that looks like a good pattern and there's plenty of brood.
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I shook them off the frames to get pictures of the comb. Both packages, 4 lbers, were installed three weeks ago and weather was terrible, cold and wet, temps dipping into the low 20s and highs in the upper 30s/low 40s for the first week and a half. Lots of dead bees out front of the hives. Plus I had frame feeders, which I replaced today with half gallon mason jar as top feeders. Hive #2 arrived with several thousand dead and starving. I expected that to be my problem hive but they are very aggressive and obviously determined.
4 pound package minus a few thousand bees is probably still strong enough to make it. it definitely would have a very good chance down here in dixie.
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10Framer; Well, up here in the Catskill Mountains, it has been a cold spring so far but they seem to be managing. Hive #1 is two weeks behind Hive #2 as far as I can figure. Eggs take 3 days to hatch and Hive one has eggs (thank you KathyP!) and Hive #2 has had capped brood for at least two weeks now. Being that this is the first time I have done bees, I have no idea what I am looking at most of the time.
Took a few pictures of Hive #1 when I went over to replace the frame feeder with a hive top feeder showing a frame that still had th bees on it.
(http://s24.postimg.org/kwlr2i40h/100_3623.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/kwlr2i40h/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/kp2pjqifl/100_3624.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/kp2pjqifl/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/u38n3iymp/100_3625.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/u38n3iymp/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/x8t8tqh8x/100_3626.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/x8t8tqh8x/)
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10Framer; Well, up here in the Catskill Mountains, it has been a cold spring so far but they seem to be managing. Hive #1 is two weeks behind Hive #2 as far as I can figure. Eggs take 3 days to hatch and Hive one has eggs (thank you KathyP!) and Hive #2 has had capped brood for at least two weeks now. Being that this is the first time I have done bees, I have no idea what I am looking at most of the time.
Took a few pictures of Hive #1 when I went over to replace the frame feeder with a hive top feeder showing a frame that still had th bees on it.
(http://s24.postimg.org/kwlr2i40h/100_3623.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/kwlr2i40h/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/kp2pjqifl/100_3624.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/kp2pjqifl/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/u38n3iymp/100_3625.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/u38n3iymp/)
(http://s24.postimg.org/x8t8tqh8x/100_3626.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/x8t8tqh8x/)
my thoughts now are why did it take that queen 2-1/2 weeks to start laying? it looks like you've got maybe 4 or possibly 5 frames of bees. i think you'll be ok but you may have to stay on top of that hive a little more.
when does the weather usually break up there? i know out west you can still have frost in but it gets up in the 70's during the day. that would be comparable to march for us. my understanding is that when you get up north you have short but very intense honey flows. i'd expect the one hive to lag behind the other this year. but each hive is it's own little nation anyway. they'll never perform exactly the same.
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Last frost date for us is May 31st. We have been heating as late as July 4th, although not normal, its not uncommon either. As far as available plants blooming, we have two intense times, spring and late summer. Spring bloom will be done by the end of June and the late summer will be mid August to late september, thats a lot of rag weed and asters which seems to be a favorites of the local feral bees. So i am hoping to collect some honey and leave a lot for the over wintering. If I can keep healthy hives through the winter then next year should be good. I have higher hopes for hive #2, even if they are an angry aggressive group!
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Still not happy with hive #1, the Happy Hive. They are foraging and bringing in pollen and nectar, but still seem to be behind on the comb and brood. All but the last couple of picture is from that hive. I elected to keep syrup in hive #1.
Hive #2, the Mean Hive, seems to be doing fine and is still the most aggressive group, starting to hound me 30 yards out if I have the bee suit on! Can't get any goo pictures from them as they are constantly at me while I am in the hive, especially covering my gloves!
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be careful leaving one hive with food and another without. most of the time you can get away with it, but sometimes it will cause robbing.
i don't see new pictures of the problem hive?
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NY has two seasons WINTER and the 4th of July
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Let me try to upload them again.(http://s7.postimg.org/ypnvnbb9j/100_3633.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/ypnvnbb9j/) (http://s7.postimg.org/52z5vjl53/100_3634.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/52z5vjl53/) (http://s7.postimg.org/hnv1l7wef/100_3635.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/hnv1l7wef/)
(http://s7.postimg.org/byet0wq87/100_3636.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/byet0wq87/) (http://s7.postimg.org/4mdy93xdz/100_3637.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/4mdy93xdz/) (http://s7.postimg.org/4nnw2iz7r/100_3638.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/4nnw2iz7r/)
(http://s7.postimg.org/purmqjbuv/100_3639.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/purmqjbuv/) (http://s7.postimg.org/bx9gl8ds7/100_3640.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/bx9gl8ds7/) (http://s7.postimg.org/ps7r3p87b/100_3641.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/ps7r3p87b/)
(http://s7.postimg.org/hb88ss3if/100_3642.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/hb88ss3if/) (http://s7.postimg.org/x5n52ns93/100_3644.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/x5n52ns93/) (http://s7.postimg.org/3y9p3wo1z/100_3645.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/3y9p3wo1z/)
(http://s7.postimg.org/hcmrzxupz/100_3646.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/hcmrzxupz/)
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NY has two seasons WINTER and the 4th of July
That about sums it up. LOL! Still we are having a nice spring this year. Hoping for some rain now though. Its been awfully dry.
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We'll be glad to send you some of our rain.
We have been wetter and cooler than normal. Needed a jacket this morning. Almost unheard of for us in May.
First time in a while we have had a very wet spring. We've had 5 inches just since Friday. Kinda sucks when you are trying to build up a pkg to full strength.
But this afternoon was great and the girls were flying like mad. Bringing in all kinds of pollen.
Good luck with yours.
David
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Thanks GeorgiaBoy, we are supposed to get rain for the next couple of days. Been a warm spring with temps in the 70's and even hit 80 on the porch this afternoon! Girls are flying hard and bringing in the pollen! Have fun with your girls, this has been a real great hobby to start!