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ocba - [ocba] Reading my hive, conflicting signals.

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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: MarilynMark Clark <wazazi.wa.binti AT gmail.com>
  • To: Orange County Bees <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] Reading my hive, conflicting signals.
  • Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:14:37 -0400

This is the part of beekeeping that I feel the most inept, knowing what is happening in the hive.

History:
   - package installed 5/13 into one large hive box containing drawn comb with a good deal of honey and some pollen cells
   - took 2.5 gallons of sugar water with Bee-B-Healthy over the next week
   - saw queen on 5/28 and capped brood, not as great a pattern as I might wish, somewhat honey bound? added an Illinois box with drawn comb and lots of honey cells
   - over the last week saw bee or two fanning at the small entrance though hive has a screen bottom.  Heat control or queen mating flight?


Today (6/15), I went through all 20 frames, hive is fairly full of bees, docile, some capped brood (one just coming out of its cell), but saw no queen, no eggs, and no larvae. Also no queen cells.  Lots of nectar drying and less pollen than I would like to see after the last meeting's presentation. Started feeding again (one gallon).

Is it superseding?  Is it honey bound?  Did I miss the eggs and larvae?  Is the queen enjoying the dating scene and the house bees have reworked her queen cell?  Should I check again in say, a week? Do I need a frame with eggs?  Do I need a queen? Am I screwed?

Mark

P.S.  The other hive installed the same day seems healthy and bountiful in all respects.



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