Recent content by Canary Honey

The bees were only captive for one day, plenty of stores and the biggest concern was overheating and having to cross their legs. Bees have been mingling for one day, excluders are being removed in a moment, mating will not have occurred yet, too soon. Fingers crossed she is still in good...

I have another small hive with a baby queen of similar age so should have emerged also, as this half of the nasty hive had a queen until more recently I will allow a few more days before checking for further queen cells and attempting to marry to the baby queen.

I had replied to this yesterday, but obviously it didn't post! The only previous time I have tried to combine colonies the queen didn't survive. On this occasion the new queen has recently emerged, and I have attempted to combine with the 'flyers' half of the nasty colony which still have...

Not wishing to take over Jonny's thread, but as I'm in a similar situation. Hopefully the attachment works! The picture of the smaller hive was last night, bunch of bees outside, inactive, swarm? too hot (solid floor)? overcrowded? This morning they are much the same, this is the half of the...

Is it when they are hopelessly queenless that they are more likely to be accepting a new introduction? Previously they were laying workers and quite happy to be this way, so I should introduce my good queen before this stage? Up to three hives with new queens hatching, getting influenced by...

Great thread and a equally great outcome. Last year I tried to combine a queenless moody colony with a smaller one with a very pleasant fresh new good laying queen colony, using four sheets of news paper, the shreds on the ground the next morning appeared like shrapnel and the queen was dead...

I am hoping that they will be okay tonight and a few more will transfer over in the morning. The ones that were with the queen cell (with some capped brood) seemed unconvinced of the accommodation and were lingering on the doorstep. Whats done is indeed done, and by next week I am sure the...

A large colony has been in a swarmy mood for a while, very nice, relatively friendly bees that I am keen on but I have never managed to spot this queen in her year of reign, a great layer but didn't even spot her in the spring inspections. This mornings inspection found a well fed queen larvae...

The mites know that there are other hives nearby and think that is okay to overrun the colony? Doubt it, more like over crowding of hives and treating them like a machine rather than living livestock.

Unfortunately I don't get to attend such things, I feel I will be forever a beginner, although the bees are constantly trying to teach me! I do have access to a vaporiser, thank you for the offer.

Have been given a hive that has probably not been touched for some years,complete with bees. For now I am letting them settle into a new location, and after a few days intend to open and if everything looks okay (as good as can be expected) then transfer bees onto drawn frames on a newer hive, I...

Well the Monday inspection that I had threatened the bees with happened. The new hive with the queen cell has a good frame of bees and a frame of uncapped honey so will leave them for now. The old hive doesn't look like it had swarmed from population and evidence of queen cells, in fact just a...

I have no choice but to let them be until Monday, what with the weather and work commitments, but Monday looks a touch warmer and I should be able to don the costume and go back in to see who has been up to what. A more concerted effort to find the slippery queen will be in order. :thanks:

If I could find the original queen I would be happy, but I haven't been able to. I am aware of this excellent information.

My strongest hive has built up rapidly this spring, occupying most of the deep and two shallows with mostly brood but also some stores, I knew to keep a close eye on this one for swarming. This is a one year old queen, daughter of a swarm that came to me, always been a good layer but we have...