eeek - Queen Cells

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eeek - Queen Cells
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Citrine

Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue May 13, 08 9:29 pm Post subject:
...if I were closer, I'd help you out, and take a Queen off of your hands

chez

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

Posted: Tue May 13, 08 9:29 pm Post subject:

We went over to the hives again today, supposedly to just pop another super on the big hive. And we went in to the brood chamber to swap a frame that had fallen apart on Saturday ... which now contained FIVE queen cells.

We think we got the queen in to the nuc box (couldn't see her in the hive and a huge pile of bees in the corner of the nuc box fanning)l left the semi-collapsed frame with the Q-cells in situ; and we copied Jo's procedure exactly. When I left them they were standing around the nuc box entrance fanning madly - so fingers crossed.

I now need to spend the next couple of days blow-torching lifts in the hope that they stay put!

joanne

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

Posted: Wed May 14, 08 8:46 am Post subject:

Good luck Chez! - Its exciting this beekeeping malarky isn't it - Are you going to go in again in a few days to see how many more queen cells them have made - if they are anything like mine - there will be loads and loads and loads

I've got to go in later to both colonies and see how it's going - I suspect Brigid may need some more foundation putting in and hopefully Athena will have not made any emergency cells - I can then leave her alone apart from changing supers

chez

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

Posted: Wed May 14, 08 8:57 am Post subject:
If the stars align, we are planning to go over again on Sunday - Arvo's away until then and I just can't lift supers myself - knackered my pelvis again yesterday, despite the truss . I can still get in to the bee suit, though . Planning on getting everything ready whilst he's away.

joanne

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

Posted: Wed May 14, 08 11:37 am Post subject:

I've just been in and taken a look - I'm not sure that Dinner Hours include Beekeeping as part of the approved activities even if you are working from home!

Linda's suspicion that they would try and make more Queen cells out of the the unsealed larvae were correct - After making sure I knew which one (the frame was marked) was the Queen cell we were keeping, I had to destroy another 10 or so! that they had made from 7 day old larvae - There was also 3 or 4 unsealed larvae left so I took the precaution of destroying them as well so they couldn't try it again - Everything else is now sealed, they have plenty of room and I can leave well alone until she has been mated and is laying (hopefully)

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed May 14, 08 5:17 pm Post subject:
Lucky you that she is laying. I have been waiting for 3 weeks, to see if I had an unmated virgin queen, but by the looks of it, not. I have no brood or eggs laid. On Fri I am helping a friend with her bees, and if they handle well AND if she has queen cells then I am going to ask for some. Oh what a palava.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu May 15, 08 4:22 pm Post subject:
I've got a bee hive! Now I just need some bees

joanne

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

Posted: Thu May 15, 08 7:10 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

I've got a bee hive!

Now I just need some bees

Wahay - go Mandy! are you getting a Nuc or do you have to wait for a swarm?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu May 15, 08 7:23 pm Post subject:

jocorless wrote:

Jamanda wrote:

I've got a bee hive!

Now I just need some bees

Wahay - go Mandy! are you getting a Nuc or do you have to wait for a swarm?

A Nuc I hope. They seem to be quite optimistic up at the apiary.

I got a basic cedar wood national, with a gauze floor, a door block, a queen excluder and frames and foundation for the brood box and the super. I also got a smoker and a J shaped hive tool, nails for the frames and wedges. I will encourage Sean to make me a dummy board and a quilt from a tea towel. The only other thing I think I might need straight off is a frame feeder.

Anything I've forgotten?

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 6:45 am Post subject:
we like a glass quilt instead of a wooden crown board. You can peer in to get a sense of what's happening in there without having to lift the board up - perhaps if the weather's not perfect.

joanne

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

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 7:49 am Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

jocorless wrote:

Jamanda wrote:

I've got a bee hive!

Now I just need some bees

Wahay - go Mandy! are you getting a Nuc or do you have to wait for a swarm?

Why are you using a frame feeder ? I just use a rapid feeder that sits on top of the crown board - Much much easier for a beginner to use especially if you have a crown board with one hole in it or if with 2 holes you block one up so you can refill it at dusk without having to suit up - handy if you are doing that every couple of days

As for dummy boards - I would get Sean to make up at least 4 - more if possible - they are so handy - I'm going to ask Martin to make me some more now I'm up to 2 hives 4 just isn't enough

joanne

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

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 7:51 am Post subject:
Also explain to me more about the quilt from a tea towel - this is something new to me - I don't use any sort of quilt, just a crown board

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 10:08 am Post subject:

I don't use a quilt, or cloth, I just lay a frame over the bees, or the dummy board.

The cloth has 2 bits of wood staples on, at each of the short ends.

You roll it up like a scroll, and cover the frames that are not being viewed yet, to keep the hive warmer, and to stop as many coming out.

I think they are unhyginic and can easily spread nasties that you don't need, as they never seem to get washed often enough.

joanne

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

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 10:15 am Post subject:
Ahh get it now - We call them inspection cloths - I have 2 which I made from calico which tend to get stuffed in the machine with the beekeeping suits - They have pockets at each end so I can remove the wood pieces

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Fri May 16, 08 11:31 am Post subject:

jocorless wrote:

Ahh get it now - We call them inspection cloths - I have 2 which I made from calico which tend to get stuffed in the machine with the beekeeping suits - They have pockets at each end so I can remove the wood pieces

That's a good way of doing it Jo. I'll do that.

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