eeek - Queen Cells

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eeek - Queen Cells
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joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:00 pm Post subject: eeek - Queen Cells

I've just had the Bee Inspector round to have a look at my bee's because I live within 5km of 2 major sea ports and also a Honey Importers to look for Small Hive beetle - Which thankfully I didn't have - I really didn't want to be the first in that HOWEVER whilst he was here I asked him to find my Queen and check she is marked - Which we did and also discovered she is clipped but we also found Queen Cells that are charged !

Now don't get me wrong - I want Queen Cells because I want to expand but I'm really nervous about this whole thing as I've not done it before and therefore I'm freaking just a little tiny bit! - He thinks I've got about 3 days before they are off so I've put in a call to my Beekeeping guru's and hopefully they will come back to me today

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:01 pm Post subject:
I don't have a clue what any of that means, but good luck anyway

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35104
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:04 pm Post subject:
Oooh. Maybe I need to hurry up getting my hive! And I can't go to the course this week either!

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:17 pm Post subject:
Good luck! Interested to know how you get on - we are planning the same thing but haven't even got around to going and checking the girls yet.

Citrine

Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:23 pm Post subject:
oo sounds exciting to me!! How experienced are you?? Is this your first year?? Im sure you'll be fine, and once its over, you can tell us all about it!!!

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:24 pm Post subject:
I understand what you're saying Jo; but I'd be heading for the books/fellow beekeepers as well..

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 12:29 pm Post subject:

judith wrote:

I don't have a clue what any of that means, but good luck anyway

Ditto

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 1:00 pm Post subject:

Citrine wrote:

oo sounds exciting to me!! How experienced are you?? Is this your first year??
Im sure you'll be fine, and once its over, you can tell us all about it!!!

I'm a second year beekeeper but my bee's came to me last year in a nucleus and I've over wintered them - They are very prolific and therefore I'm now in the situation where I need to do some swarm control - which is why I'm panicking!

Citrine

Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 1:02 pm Post subject:
Ahh, now I understand!!! Hope it goes well, then.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 1:18 pm Post subject:

jocorless wrote:

Citrine wrote:

oo sounds exciting to me!! How experienced are you?? Is this your first year??
Im sure you'll be fine, and once its over, you can tell us all about it!!!

New to beekeeping myself... just started this year - but if the bees are that prolific, and you want to expand - don't you need a controlled swarm rather than swarm control? Time to move queenie, sealed brood, nurse bees and some stores to another hive and leave the flying bees and a couple of queen cells etc in the original location.... but don't take my word for that - still learning myself.

Dee

New-Bee

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 1:21 pm Post subject:

Dee J wrote:

jocorless wrote:

Citrine wrote:

oo sounds exciting to me!! How experienced are you?? Is this your first year??
Im sure you'll be fine, and once its over, you can tell us all about it!!!

Yes that is more or less what I'm intending to do - Its just when it comes down to it - I'm panicking - I'm sure I'll be fine once I've done it but it doesn't make it any easier plus today was the first time I've ever seen the Queen - because while she was clipped she wasn't marked however she is now

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35104
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 2:06 pm Post subject:
At least if she's clipped if she does go, she can't go far and then you can put her into your new hive. Keep us informed Jo.

Lionheart

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 427
Location: Cheshire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 3:32 pm Post subject:
Hey there, I believe that Thorne have launched a new 'swarm collection device' in their latest catalogue, just in case you're not around when/if it happens - I'm not sure if it's on the web site yet though. Just thought that you might like to know! Cris

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 8:07 pm Post subject:

Well my Beekeeping Gurus didn't come back to me in enough time - I have to go into Manchester all day tomorrow and Thursday for work so I wouldn't be around if they swarmed - so armed with the scraps of paper I wrote my notes about making up a nucleus at the convention on Saturday - I bit the bullet and went for it

There were bee's EVERYWHERE - I managed to find the Queen again (thats twice in 1 day after nearly 12 months of not being able to find her at all! ) - Got her plus 3 frames of brood without Queen Cells on them into the nuc along with 2 full frames of stores - then I sorted out the main colony and put the frames with the Queen Cells in the bottom brood chamber and moved the super from underneath the brood chamber to the top over a Queen Excluder - That completed I watched to see if the 2 colonies settled down - which they did

I then got a phone call from Linda - my tutor who thinks I've done everything right (thankfully) but they are coming on Friday to check it all out for me along with another nuc box because she thinks it might be an idea to split out the colony even further and take another nuc off it - They have even offered to take it to their Apiary to be mated - So many colony's have had losses this year that propagating a good strain is essential - So they may take the 3rd Queen cell to bring on themselves - depending on its quality

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35104
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue May 06, 08 8:23 pm Post subject:
Well done you! I'm impressed.

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