How much brood right now........

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Pete D

Drone Bee
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Location
near King's Lynn
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
50+. Double Std National & 14x12
Come on then, you know your hives, your location and weather, have a stab at how much BIAS you have right now in one of your average hives.......... and a brief explanation to back up your 'informed view'.

My 14 x 12 poly nucs, 2 frames ; well insulated (extra on top), plenty of bees, plenty of stores and a less than 6 month old queen. Nuc's made 1st August.

My cedar hives, std and 14x12, 1 frame (2 x facing sides) ; plenty of bees & stores, 2013 queen, top insulation, but will have clustered a few times over last 3 weeks.

Not looking for right / wrong, just your views on an average hive of yours and why. I suspect a few of my poly nucs may have more than my conservative 2 frames.
 
None, based on a full but quick inspection yesterday, with at the time half the colony in the "Ladies'".
<ADD>V. well insulated hive on "Heat Island". Red Buckfast Queen.</ADD>
 
No idea, I I have see through cover boards and insulated roof so had a quick peek yesterday and plenty of bees but all clustered in middle buzzing to keep warm. could see plenty of untouched stores on outer frames, heft showed one hive slightly heavier than other but both pretty heavy still.
 
No idea and no intention of looking either.


Craig
 
I have no idea really. No Oxalic going on so it doesn't matter.There are brown cap pings on the boards underneath so I suppose some.....shrug
 
No idea and no intention of looking either.


Craig

It wasnt about looking, it was about you having a stab at what you thought was going on in your hives right now, using your experience and knowledge.

I was just trying to generate some discussion and views and I get no idea x 3

No idea will not help you decide when and if to oxallic, if its something you do.

Never mind, I will get on with my work and have a look back later to see if anybody wants to answer the original question.
 
It wasnt about looking, it was about you having a stab at what you thought was going on in your hives right now, using your experience and knowledge.

I was just trying to generate some discussion and views and I get no idea x 3

No idea will not help you decide when and if to oxallic, if its something you do.

Never mind, I will get on with my work and have a look back later to see if anybody wants to answer the original question.

Pete D; were yours estimates or observations? I thought estimates but wasn't quite sure.
 
Estimates of what I thought was in an average hive of mine right now.

It was my stab at what is going on in my hives right now.

I wouldnt be looking now unless I had a real good reason and even then I wouldnt be able to address anything if there was a problem.

My thread was certainly not about encouraging people to look, hence the 'have a stab at how much brood you think you have now' suggestion.
 
No offence but you asked I gave my answer. You state the amount of brood so have you been into the hives to find out or is it a guess?
I just wanted other new beekeepers to be aware it is not the time of year to be poking around in the hive.


Craig
 
I had decided to do OA; I had clear evidence they picked up some mites late in the season and I want a clean build-up. Yesterday provided a perfect opportunity to look and, to my relief, no brood. Otherwise obviously I would not have rummaged around for no reason, perfect flying day or not.
 
I didnt realise my original post was so confusing. Must be the translation.

I asked you to take a guess / stab at how much brood you had in an average hive of yours right now, based on you knowing your hives history, local forage and weather. I also asked you to explain the reasons behind your guess.
Then I led by example, I guessed how much I have in an average one of mine and explained the reasons behind my guess.

I in no way asked anybody to look and see, that would be madness right now.

I even thought if there was some concensus that it may stop newer beekeepers having a look. Especially with busy and quiet hives being discussed and when to oxallic etc.

As I said never mind, nobody has a view of what is happening in their hives right now and will just do what they always do regardless.

One thing we all agree on is that we should not open them right now.

Best leave it at that whilst we agree.
 
Well ... Judging by the amount of 'new' bees I saw flying yesterday and the large amounts of pollen the foragers were dragging back I have some brood. Looking at the debris on my sticky board I think there may be brood on at least two or three frames. It's been fairly mild down here and they have been pretty active. Three weeks ago in a quick peek through the clear crownboard they were spread well over about 8 out of 13 frames with a lot of bees on the inner three. Everything in my hive is sealed up so there's no loss of heat if I lift the lid but I'm really not that worried that I need to look at them ...

They are active, weight of hive is pretty constant, look healthy when they come out .. if there is brood then that's what they feel they can cope with and need ... I don't need to know as I'm not using OA. Next time they will get opened is when it gets warm or if I feel they need fondant.
 
One thing we all agree on is that we should not open them right now.

Hah! Beekeeping: I ABSOLUTELY disagree with that. I would say "we should not open them right now [WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE]".

I had cause, before this thread.

In case it helps, it gives ONE (therefore untrustworthy) datapoint to anyone who is thinking of OA and wondering where the brood cycle is.
 
Hi Pete D,
I am guessing that the hive with least winter bees have had a small batch of emerging bees based on brown cappings under hive. Nothing to write home about though. I am assuming one hive is brooding based on throwing out three white stage bees and collecting pollen week later. The nuc is always collecting some pollen, so minor brood there possibly. Other two no pollen seen, perhaps I should put the boards in!
Hope that meets with your expectations!
 
No idea and no intention of looking either.


Craig

I'm with you Craig.
If anyone is thinking about looking, please don't!!!!! (Unless you have a real reason to and I can't think why you would.) Now is NOT the time of year to poke them about.
Cazza
 
Of course what I mean to say is we should never open them without good cause./QUOTE]

Happy that you felt you had good cause, they are your bees and you keep them your way based on what you know about your hives.
I apologise for not having read back as to what reason you had to open it and I can only assume that whatever it was you felt you could rectify it if you found it, if on looking it was doomed, then I guess it was doomed or has your timely intervention saved the bees or just put your mind at rest.

Is your hive what would be described as an average hive at this time of year or does the exceptional circumstances that gave you cause to open it rule it out of being a typical average hive. If it does then the fact that its broodless wont necessary reflect the average hive. As you pointed out its only one so probably not a trustworthy sample.
 

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