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Thread: todays news

  1. #4031

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jambo View Post
    Lovely day here yesterday, some nectar finally visible in hives and the queen I've got in an Apidea had the mating sign visible - a first for me!
    So that was seen on 26th June, when I checked 7 days later on 3 July, was surprised to find no eggs. Queen still looking like a scrawny virgin as well. Is this just how long it takes does anyone know? Or maybe she fancies another mating flight and there hasn't been suitable weather since. Could also be related to complete lack of nectar flow? Saw Murray on Twitter mentioning the impact it was having on his - rather bigger than mine - queen rearing operation.

    I'm starting to agree with the view that Apideas and such are a waste of time for the average hobbyist! Two frames of brood including a queen cell into a Payne's nuc seems every bit as effective, a lot less hassle and makes subsequent introductions an awful lot easier.

  2. #4032

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    I agree Jambo. I experimented with mating nucs two years ago and struggled to get them to draw comb , bees stick in the fondant and then the faff of transferring them later.
    I use Payne’s nucs as well. I put three frames of bees, an undrawn frame and a dummy board. Do you find two frames better (this will use less bees and deplete the parent colony less)



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  3. #4033

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    Quote Originally Posted by RDMW View Post
    Do you find two frames better (this will use less bees and deplete the parent colony less)
    Yes in the sense that they use less of everything as you say and still work fine, though I am sure a 3 frame would build up faster. My understanding is 1 frame of brood = 3 frames of bees, so if you put two frames of sealed brood into a 6 frame nuc, it will be full on emergence of that brood. One of my nucs started in this way this time last year is now in a double brood national with 18 frames laid up

  4. #4034

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    ...can also keep them busy doing something useful for me such as drawing full size frames of foundation with a steady feed while waiting on queen mating etc.

  5. #4035

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  6. #4036
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    Didn’t think the colonies would need double brood this year but I turned up to one of the hives trying to swarm.

    Naturally I hadn’t done a full inspection last week because swarming’s done for the year....

    Clipped Queen so they came back while I was going through it to confirm that was what was going on, given them another super of frames to play with in the meantime.

    A nice little welcome treat from the bees to welcome me back!

  7. #4037
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    Well swarm aside it’s all looking rather good. The two nationals have packed 3 supers so far and each have another one to keep them busy as the brambles are really opening up now. I’ve added a second brood box to the one that’s a few weeks behind the swarmy hive just in case so they’ve got plenty of room and space to play with and not averse to extracting a few deep frames if it comes to it.

    First of the 14x12 nucs in the other apiary is now in a full size hive and hope the other can stay in the nuc over winter.

  8. #4038
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Swarming's not done for the year up here ... one arrived in a bait hive yesterday and there are scouts looking closely at another this morning. With the forecast for the next couple of days set fair I wouldn't be surprised if more turn up.

    My first of the season was the 30th of April ... unusually early in my limited experience for Scotland.

    I've also got at least one colony giving the impression it's going for a late season supercedure already.

    I blame it on the weather

  9. #4039
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    And a huge one today in a bait hive. There's some sloppy swarm control in Fife

  10. #4040
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    They’re not making it easy for me!

    Hive that swarmed still has the Queen, found her running around in the supers when that capped honey looked a bit broodish.

    New queen would only have emerged last week so I was a bit surprised to say the least and wasn’t looking forward to going through 3 supers looking for an unmarked Queen. But sure enough once I found some eggs she was close by still clipped and marked and not in the grass as I’d assumed.

    Checked the brood box and the cell I left is empty so presume she emerged, it’s still busy enough that I don’t think they’ve swarmed so I’m hoping the incumbent has polished her off.

    But lacking in spares right now so didn’t have much choice but to put queenie back below the QE and we’ll see what happens.

    If I had the spares I’d have put the marked Queen in a nuc to see what transpires in the main hive.

    So scratching my head a bit to figure out what’s happened tell truth. From the quantity of brood she’s not been laying long but must have been there last week and I didn’t spot as there’s sealed brood.

    Any chance that when they slimmed her down to swarm that she got into the supers and somehow missed the signal to go?
    Last edited by Neils; 21-07-2019 at 05:41 PM.

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