Normal Behaviour or Not

[Stephen Matthew]

I made a few mistakes which led to me removing a super with the frames, clearing all the additional comb, some brood and honey and putting the frames and super back. I couldn’t see the queen and am hopeful she scarpered into the brood box but she’s not mark d and I can’t find her. My question is the bee behaviour shown in the pics normal? Are they just hot?

1. And 3. Are the hive in question
2. Is a new hive def with a queen

 

[Sutty]

Sorry but from your description I'm not clear what you did or what your question is?

 

[fian]

What time did you record the video? Image 2 in the morning and image 1 in the afternoon?
There are several options:
1. Reconnaissance flights by nurse bees.
2. Some water source nearby or bees buzzing in the entrance. Excess population and refreshment of the nest due to high temperatures.
3. Swarm preparations.

 

[Stephen Matthew]

Sorry but from your description I'm not clear what you did or what your question is?

Just concerned this is normal behaviour and not a sign of eg a missing queen

 

[Stephen Matthew]

What time did you record the video? Image 2 in the morning and image 1 in the afternoon?
There are several options:
1. Reconnaissance flights by nurse bees.
2. Some water source nearby or bees buzzing in the entrance. Excess population and refreshment of the nest due to high temperatures.
3. Swarm preparations.

All taken at the same time 15.35

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

looks like a standard photograph of a hive with bees to me. I'm unsure of the nature of the mistake and why you would assume you've lost the queen. I remove all the supers every time I inspect a colony. Not sure what you mean by

clearing all the additional comb, some brood and honey

 

[Stephen Matthew]

looks like a standard photograph of a hive with bees to me. I'm unsure of the nature of the mistake and why you would assume you've lost the queen. I remove all the supers every time I inspect a colony. Not sure what you mean by

That’s good to know. By way of explanation, I added a super as an extra brood box and put the qe on top but for some inexplicable reason there were actually 2 supers and the bees added a huge amount of comb underneath. In fact it was everywhere so I removed the supers put the qe back on top of the brood box. When I removed the supers there were a lot of bees in them. I didn’t see the queen but I can’t be sure she wasn’t there. I’m hoping she migrated to the brood box when I smoked and shook them onto it. Hope that makes sense

 

[enrico]

That’s good to know. By way of explanation, I added a super as an extra brood box and put the qe on top but for some inexplicable reason there were actually 2 supers and the bees added a huge amount of comb underneath. In fact it was everywhere so I removed the supers put the qe back on top of the brood box. When I removed the supers there were a lot of bees in them. I didn’t see the queen but I can’t be sure she wasn’t there. I’m hoping she migrated to the brood box when I smoked and shook them onto it. Hope that makes sense

Not really, were there frames in the super? When you say there were actually two supers .... What do you mean? Do you mean you put two super boxes on and then brood frames in them? Help!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That’s good to know. By way of explanation, I added a super as an extra brood box and put the qe on top but for some inexplicable reason there were actually 2 supers and the bees added a huge amount of comb underneath. In fact it was everywhere so I removed the supers put the qe back on top of the brood box. When I removed the supers there were a lot of bees in them. I didn’t see the queen but I can’t be sure she wasn’t there. I’m hoping she migrated to the brood box when I smoked and shook them onto it. Hope that makes sense

got you. I think you'd know if you'd done for the queen as the bees would be roaring within minutes.
I sometimes get queens hiding in a super, or have to do a Demaree when I can't find the queen (they are notorious for hiding when you need to find them) and, like you I just shake all the bees off the frames/comb into the brood box, it doesn't hurt the queen.
By the looks of the way your colony is building up I would have thought you would be better off going straight to double brood - it's a far more sensible system than brood and a half which is neither fish nor fowl.

 

[hemo]

At the mo you have no idea where your Q is, simply next time you inspect look carefully and see if there are any eggs/young larvae in the super first above the QX. If so you will know exactly where she is and so need to find her and move her down.

 

[fian]

All taken at the same time 15.35

I am inclined to think that he has reduced his space too much and if the queen is in the bottom drawer it is possible that he is facing a swarm preparation. I recommend an inspection within 2 weeks to locate actual cells.

 

[Stephen Matthew]

Not really, were there frames in the super? When you say there were actually two supers .... What do you mean? Do you mean you put two super boxes on and then brood frames in them? Help!

One empty super (by mistake) and another super on top with half/super frames

 

[robmort]

Clear as mud!

 

[ericbeaumont]

bees added a huge amount of comb

They told you that space is needed, but instead you have removed space.

Photos are unclear: is there a QX on the BB or are they on brood & a half?

If the queen is in a single BB she will run out of space; do as JBM suggested and add a second BB. Put a few frames of open brood in the new box to get them to use it as a BB and not a super.

If they're on B+half then there's no space for nectar (and not enough for brood) so expect to see QCs next time. Add another super, anyway.

 

[enrico]

One empty super (by mistake) and another super on top with half/super frames

That helps Stephen, thanks. The empty super is why they built loads of wild comb. If there is more than a beespace anywhere then bees will fill it with comb. A lesson well learnt. You need to do a couple of things now. Go through your bees gently and calmly four days after you wen through them last time. First of all go through the super that is on top of the queen excluder. Dont look for the queen but look for eggs. If you find any then you know the queen is up there. You have two choices, if you want to give the bees more room then put that super UNDER your brood box and put a fresh super ontop of the queen excluder. Or, if you do not want the faff of brood and a half then find the queen and pop her in the brood box under the queen excluder. If there are no eggs then take off the super and check the brood box again looking for eggs but keeping an eye open for emergency queen cells. If there are eggs then you have the queen in the brood box and all is OK. If you cant find eggs anywhere then you need to remove all but two of the queen cells. It means you have most likely lost your queen. I think the latter scenario is highly unlikely so dont despair.
Look at the blog page on this site and put my avatar name in the filter. There are some pages on there that will give you hints about looking after your bees as a newbee. Take heart, all is not lost and the bees will do everything they can to rectify your mistakes
Let us know how it goes

 

[ericbeaumont]

remove all but two of the queen cells

When both are sealed, one may be used to make up a nuc as insurance: the frame with QC (or cut it out, push your thumb into another comb of brood and wedge the cell), a frame of sealed brood, one frame of stores, rest of foundation, three shakes of bees, grass loosely in the entrance. Park and check for eggs after 3 weeks.

Never give bees options: leave only one QC to emerge.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you need to remove all but two of the queen cells

Never leave two - you have a full hive there, they will swarm on one and leave half the colony with the other

 

[enrico]

Never leave two - you have a full hive there, they will swarm on one and leave half the colony with the other

Fine, I was working on the fact that they would be early stages of queen cells after four days of a queen going absent so a new beekeeper might be unsure what was or wasn't a queen cell at that point. But I bow to popular opinion.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Having read through this thread and moving off at a tangent I think it's worth asking a bit about our new beekeeper. Mainly is this a "brave?" solo foray into the craft or is it after training and if anyone has or could provide a mentoring service.

 

[Stephen Matthew]

Many thanks for all your replies - most helpful. I’ll check everything out and let you all know. I’m hopeful the Queen is still there but she won’t be in the super. I cleared it all out and put the frames with the honey back in and the qe on the brood box. Thanks again