Well done bees! Proud.

[bjosephd]

I have a struggling hive that has been battling with queenless issues for a while (hopefully now imminently mating... HOPEFULLY!?) and have therefor been dwindling, weak and somewhat despondent around the entrance, and I've been upset to see the wasps start to pester the hive since they have stores in there and not much else... I even saw a wasp wander in there unchallenged the other day, entrance is reduced.

However, after being away for a couple of days I discovered a dead wasp on the floor out the front of the hive! It might not be significant in the grand scheme of things, and I still worry for the future of the colony (some kind of uniting or bolstering might be required) BUT I'm super proud of them to have beaten the cr@p out of at least one wasp! There's still some fight left in them there bees!

Wish them luck, and a good sumer!

 

[allotment-bee]

Well done bees, we`ve just lost our pathetic q- hive to the little *******.

 

[bjosephd]

Yikes... can it really get that bad? Maybe I should just get on and unite (2 queenless or unmated colonies) and just buy in a mated queen quick smart before the buggers destroy the whole lot. Especially as they are in an orchard which the wasps are rather big fans of once the apples ripen! Maybe I need to give myself a strict time line (like the 1st week of august) where I stop crossing my fingers and get on and unite. Or else the Wasps will come, the summer will go, and it'll be back to starting the season beeless next year

 

[Tremyfro]

Yikes... can it really get that bad? Maybe I should just get on and unite (2 queenless or unmated colonies) and just buy in a mated queen quick smart before the buggers destroy the whole lot. Especially as they are in an orchard which the wasps are rather big fans of once the apples ripen! Maybe I need to give myself a strict time line (like the 1st week of august) where I stop crossing my fingers and get on and unite. Or else the Wasps will come, the summer will go, and it'll be back to starting the season beeless next year

I can identify with those bees...I have a small nuc which has been faffing about for ages. Had a perfectly enormous fat long queen...which didn't lay any eggs.....then it disappeared......added a frame with eggs...they made some QCs ....one queen emerged...the empty QC seen at last inspection...now awaiting mating and laying.....nail biting going on forever! At least now they are in the right place for a combine if all else fails....the other end of a Long Hive. If she gets mated and lays...fab she can build up a colony ready for a combine in the spring....for the OSR. They were fighting off the wasps too....though I helped them quite a bit!

 

[bjosephd]

It's a nightmare to be honest... just came in from mowing and watched a wasp wander in un-contested... I inspected earlier today and it just seems the bees are all gobbling down the stores all with their heads stuck in the cells and no sign of the virgin queen this time (she's a small tricky one to spot)... and certainly no eggs. Trying to resist checking the other hive since I only saw the 2 capped queen cells on Sunday... but would be nice to at least see a virgin queen wandering around thinking about getting mated, and that's assuming that both cells didn't hatch and fight resulting in two broken queens. Potentially a small dead queen out the front today, but they are always less queen looking when dead and desiccated, so who knows. But yes, as you say, nail biting and going on for ever and I'm wondering when I need to stop crossing my fingers and start crossing my colonies!

 

[BrianO]

Guys... Reminder....Summer... someone mentioned, it will be over in 4 weeks ! ( not that it was evident here for July ! )

 

[Tremyfro]

Guys... Reminder....Summer... someone mentioned, it will be over in 4 weeks ! ( not that it was evident here for July ! )

Oh Ye of little Faith! Plenty of time for our girls to be victorious!
Back home tomorrow...so will be checking how they have been doing with the Wasp Invasion!

 

[bjosephd]

Guys... Reminder....Summer... someone mentioned, it will be over in 4 weeks ! ( not that it was evident here for July ! )

Is this cryptic advice to unite and introduce a mated queen asap?

 

[Swarm]

Is this cryptic advice to unite and introduce a mated queen asap?

Will your new queen mate successfully?

 

[bjosephd]

Will your new queen mate successfully?

With my 'luck' so far this year... I'm not so hopeful.