Recent content by Do224

I’ve only foundation, will that work?

Presume with a newly mated queen, chances of her swarming this season are next to nothing? Or is that wishful thinking?

Wondering now about how to deal with this hive. Currently on double brood and two supers. Very heavy and most of the weight is in the brood boxes I think. I’m hoping the virgin queen will be mated and laying in about 10 days time, or perhaps sooner (original queen was nuc’d and charged cell left...

I’ve got what seems to be mouse damage in one of my weaker hives at the moment. I thought mice were only supposed to be an issue in the winter…

United nuc with my favourite queen to my worst performing hive. Hope she works her magic there. Added second super to well populated but queenless hive. I guess they’ve still got another week or so before their numbers dwindle a bit prior to their newly mated (hopefully 🤞) queen getting laying...

Presumably she’s unlikely to try and swarm as she’s so young (despite being jammed into one bb)?

Ok, I’ve got a super full of bees and they’re working the centre three frames. I’ll put another super on tomorrow and checkerboard the frames between the two

At what point do you add a second super? Is it when the existing one is 80% full of bees/80% full of nectar or 80% capped…or something else? I’m leaning towards 80% full of nectar?

Is there a best way to do this that means the bees are most likely to draw and fill them? Options I can think of are; 1. Just stick new undrawn super on top 2. Put new undrawn super directly above qx and then put existing super/s on top. 3. Take some full/filling frames out of existing super...

No, both are 2023 queens. They were originally swarms caught in 2022. Then the below happened… “One swarmed last year and requeened. The other superseded their queen last year.”

My best (gentlest and most productive) colony made swarm preps and I nuc’d the queen on 1st May. I have a very slow to build up hive with some chalk brood (still only on 6 frames of brood, a couple of pollen/stores frames and a couple of unused frames). Can I unite the nuc to this hive? Just...

Yes they were originally swarms in 2022. One swarmed last year and requeened. The other superseded their queen last year. Both had autumn and winter vaped. Only obvious issue is some chalk brood. I’ll aim to requeen then if they’re a lost cause

The hive next to them (look more like buckfasts) is booming so I’d say very good. Edge of a large village. Lots of hedgerows flowering. Dandelions galore until the last few days. Field of OSR just over a mile away

That’s nuts. A couple of my black bee hives haven’t even made it into their first super yet. Should I be thinking about requeening them or is that fairly normal for darker bees? Both have 2023 queens

30%…how do you go about dealing with that?? Did you put the super over or under the bb you want them to draw out with it?