Two swarms from one hive on the same day.

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Two swarms from one hive on the same day.
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Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 13 5:49 pm Post subject:

Update.
All the splits & the swarm I have at home are now queenright & laying.
Had to super the mother hive & the largest split as they have already filled the brood box with brood & honey.
The split in the 5 frame nuc was filled out so that is now in a national brood box with empty frames.
The swarm in the top bar hive have built eight combs, three of which have brood, the rest nectar & honey.
Little bit of cross combing which I have hopefully rectified.
I've spread the straightest combs & put empty bars between to encourage more straight comb building.
Figure with this heat wave there's little chance of chilled brood.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 13 5:55 pm Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Its only a mile and a half away...
I was thinking to wait a week just to make sure she has started to lay properly.

How did it go?

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 13 5:26 am Post subject:

Well, hive 1 in the orchard that overwintered poorly and i dont rate the queen are ticking over but still on 2 and a half frames.
hive 2, my black bees - having made a quen cell last week, this has now disappeared (?) and they are working like mad. The super I had on last week is full and Ive given them a 2nd one, lots of capped brood but I cant see any young uncapped. Will be going in again this morning to look.
Hive 3 at St Kew, have been back on Monday - cant see a queen, no brood at all, loads of honey, very little pollen, but they are calm as you like, so Im thinking there must be a queen she just hasnt started laying.
Thinking - take a frame of uncapped (possibly from hive 2) and move to St kew?

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 13 10:02 am Post subject:

So, have been and done the bees (before it gets too hot).
Hive 1 in the orchard are exactly the same.
Hive 2 (black bees) are superceding definately - 3 queen cups in the centre of frames and one capped (but open, if you know what I mean) at the bottom. Now, Ive never seen the queen in this hive, so i dont know if she's gone or what...
So now I have to put a bait hive nearby to possibly attract a possible swarm.
Hive 3 at St kew - lots of brood and capped brood, and very quiet - yippee. And just put on 2nd super - 1st one nearly full and capped.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 13 12:52 pm Post subject:
Excellent. It does look like this is a bee year. When we have an extended dry spell I'm always a little concerned, Perfect weather for the bees to fly but if the ground is to dry plants will stop producing nectar. My fields are still full of white clover blooms but I haven't seen much activity on them. The bramble on the other hand is busy with bees. (deeper roots)

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 13 1:00 pm Post subject:
The field opposite our gate was alive with clover a week ago, the smell was incredible. Its starting to burn off now and everything looks crispy. have noticed that not much pollen is coming in on the bees , but we are to get thunderstorm on Sunday so perhaps some rain?

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