Two queens installed into queenless hives

I bought two queens from Easybee.

They were in these bee cages, below.
I was confident about one of the hives. It had been queenless for some time (but see next post). So I knew it would accept a new queen.

The other hive I was worried about. Through pressure of time, I was not able to leave a day between killing the old queen (who was not laying) and introducing the new queen.

The result? Both queens laying very happily.

Thanks, Easybee.

Thieving robbing little bastards

One of my hives has been overrun by wasps. It was one that I had recently added a new queen to, and she had started to lay.
But too late. There were not enough bees to defend the hive and the queen has now disappeared, presumed dead.

I have moved the frames with brood and a couple of frames of brood from another hive into a nuc box, together with the remaining bees. The nuc box has two small entrance holes, so is much easier to defend.

Maybe they can make a new queen from eggs on the frames.

New Poly Nucleus box

Just bought a nucleus box from the excellent Modern Beekeeping in Devon for £29.

Admire the paint job! I like it. I wonder if the bees will. I bought a couple of sampler pots of "Shades" by Cuprinol, that were intended for the wooden bench that you see beneath the box. But looks good on the box, innit?

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a central divider that enables one to keep two colonies in the same box. But a judicious hack at a sheet of Correx, the materiel du jour, fixed the problem.



See below with three brood frames in one side.


The final part of the job was to fashion a blocking panel for the entrance that will not be used if either the full six frames are being used as a colony or only one side is being used. See also the open mesh floor (essential for travelling any distance with bees on board).

I'm impressed with these hives. I have a colony in the full size polyhive and its doing well.

Colony status at 29 June

Now have got eight colonies on the go - shared with friend E.

1 x topbar
- looking good - new swarm in June.

1 x commercial from swarm last year
- swarmed while I was away in India - but were very confusing
- has unhinged queen cell but no eggs, so suspect a virgin queen awaiting mating.

1 x commercial from swarm while I was away
- they just moved into an broodbox full of empty frames
- awaiting a move to out apiary because they are right outside my back door
- blighters stung me just because I was sawing close by

1 x WBC in garden, last year's queen
- 10 frames of brood
- looks set to do well this year

2 x WBC at out apiary
- one has new queen
- patchy brood
- not sure if the queen is a good 'un
- one was queenless until E put a queen cell in from beesoc (came from a very gentle hive, so I hope it works)

1 x polyhive
- new queen in last month
- doing well

1 x national
- swarm taken on a duvet cover (see previous post)
- now in local town awaiting return to Pickwick Towers.



But a lot of money spent on kit to get this far and not a lot of return.

Top bar hive going well

My two teenage sons, T and J, captured a swarm for the first time (with advice on the 'phone from me in India) and E put it in the topbar, which has now been moved to a more secluded spot in the grounds of the local manor house (photo above).

The comb is lovely - as you might expect because it's brand new (photo above).

Only in one case have the bees not followed the waxed groove in the underside of the bar. They have produced a convoluted shape that spans two bars (photo below).


The V-shape of the hive is supposed to prevent them from bridging the comb to the side of the hive, but on most bars there is a small amount to bridging comb (photo below).

Apologies for the break in transmission

I am working in India for three weeks.

Back with the bees and back online in about a week.

Major trauma / excitement

I am off to India on business for a few weeks, so I needed to hand over my hives to friend E to look after while I am away.

We inspected the hive at D's and found it to be queenless and full of ferocious bees (because of their queenlessness).

I drove there in my open top car and had to drive away after the inspection in full protective gear. Stopping a few hundred yards away to take off our headgear. We didn't want to frighten the natives.

Returning later that day, we did an "artificial swarm" because there was one swarm cell and numerous supersession cells. We put the swarm cell and one supersession cell into the new hive (along with nurse bees), and left the rest in the original hive (with their own supersession cells).

Heaven knows what will be the outcome. I will know when I return. I think we should leave them alone for a few weeks to sort themselves out.