Still Undecided

[pargyle]

Sorry Guys - pulled this from the WDYDITA Thread ..

Originally Posted by pargyle
Picked up a colony of Buckfasts last night from an association member who is having to take a break from beekeeping because of work commitments and other issues. Not sure what I've got as we could not open them up when I collected them last night and they feel very light .. possibility that they swarmed earlier this week. Too cold and windy to mess about with them today but it's going to be warmer tomorrow so I'll get into them then and see what's going on. Not a lot of flying from any colonies today ...

Well... I transferred them to one of my hives today. There was no eggs or brood in there - plenty of bees (and very nice bees) but at least eight capped queen cells. No sign of a marked queen in there and initially there was no sign of a virgin.. They must have swarmed at least a week ago. There was one lovely big queen cell that was bang in the middle of a frame and so I left that one and started taking down all the other ones .. and then.. as I uncapped one out popped a queen - went to grab her and missed and she disappeared .. I wasn't uncapping on top of the hive - because sometimes you find a queen in there and can grab her before she slips in. Been there and done that !

So, I looked everywhere but couldn't find her. Carried on getting rid of all the other QC's and putting it all back together. Was just tidyin up and on my arm... there she was. Almost automatically I picked her off and popped her on the landing board .. a group of bees immediately came to greet here and were offering her food .. fabulous to watch. Then off she went into the hive.

And then I thought - bugger it - I've left one queen cell in there so ..

!. Should I go back in and remove the frame with the QC and put it with a couple of frames into a Nuc as insurance (I've marked the frame so I know where it is) ?

or://

2. Leave them to it and let them sort out who they want ?

It was a very thorough inspection so I know I've got all the QC's bar the one I left - shook the bees off all the frames and checked all the usual edge and bottom nooks and crannies. I have some concerns about raising what may be an F3 Buckfast (although the local mongrels are fairly docile) but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, if I come to it. Having ripped the apart today to get them into a new box so I can return the timber hive to the the owner I am equally conscious that I should not now be fiddling with them - moreso as I have a virgin running around in there !

Any thoughts ?

 

[Repwoc]

They are in swarm mode, so could swarm with the VQ you ran in. I would remove the QC; after all, your intention was to leave just the one VQ (in a cell) but now there are two.

 

[pargyle]

They are in swarm mode, so could swarm with the VQ you ran in. I would remove the QC; after all, your intention was to leave just the one VQ (in a cell) but now there are two.

Yeh .. it's one of the possibilities I have considered - although the weather is not going to be that good for swarming in the next day or four - equally it's not ideal for a mating flight either.

What I don't know is whether the queen in the QC I left will survive now there's a virgin free in the hive anyway ..

 

[Newbeeneil]

They are in swarm mode, so could swarm with the VQ you ran in. I would remove the QC; after all, your intention was to leave just the one VQ (in a cell) but now there are two.

 

[beeno]

A thought... The first thing a virgin does after emergence is piping to find its rivals in their cells, who stupidly respond by quacking so she knows where to find them. Some, say she carries on piping for two days. However, what happens if the QCs contain virgins are too young to quack? She may not find them and when they emerge they will either fight or cast a swarm.

 

[pargyle]

Had a look in there today ...I left them alone after my last cock up and hoped for the best. I got lucky .. one of the two virgins got mated .. four frames of capped brood on both sides, two frames of eggs and brood and there's enough bees in there to tend to it all. Really nice bees and the nurse bees are more like my little black mongrels than stripey buckies .. very easy to handle. Didn't bother searching for the queen, she's there somewhere. They have filled two brood frames with nectar and there is free comb anywhere they can find space - I reckon that a super will be needed if the weather bucks up a bit. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Had a look in there today ...I left them alone after my last cock up and hoped for the best. I got lucky .. one of the two virgins got mated .. four frames of capped brood on both sides, two frames of eggs and brood and there's enough bees in there to tend to it all. Really nice bees and the nurse bees are more like my little black mongrels than stripey buckies .. very easy to handle. Didn't bother searching for the queen, she's there somewhere. They have filled two brood frames with nectar and there is free comb anywhere they can find space - I reckon that a super will be needed if the weather bucks up a bit. Sometimes you get lucky.

Nice one, I’m pleased for you
The queen on your arm made me smile. She was clearly watching to see how thorough you were - if you got them all, saving her the trouble of stinging them.

 

[enrico]

Good call. Well done
E

 

[pargyle]

As I figured ... wall to wall brood and honey stores .. brace comb under the crown board, between frames, on the end wall. Made up some frames (found just enough frame nails to do the 10 frames ... I have a box full somewhere - could I find it ? No hope !). It's going to be a big colony in a week or two if she carries on like this. Added the super.. see how they get on.