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  • From: "jacquelynclymore AT yahoo.com" <jacquelynclymore AT yahoo.com>
  • To: "Lewis Cauble" <lewis AT hivebody.com>, "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Hive split/new queen question
  • Date: Thu, 08 May 2014 14:37:45 -0400

Since I'm having trouble getting the list serve to work for me...
I'm tacking on here a request for direction in finding a new queen, one of my two has failed.
Jacquelyn Clymore

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G LTE exclusively from Sprint


----- Reply message -----
From: "Lewis Cauble" <lewis AT hivebody.com>
To: "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [ocba] Hive split/new queen question
Date: Thu, May 8, 2014 1:56 PM


This would be a good time for an experienced beekeeper to have a look.  I suspect that you have had a swarm and the new queen is not laying yet.  I would add a frame of eggs and see what the bees do with it.  If they pull cells, you need a queen.  If they don't, just give it more time.  Where are you located?
 

On May 8, 2014 at 11:57 AM Cole Rizki <colerizki AT gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am a new bee keeper (this is my first season), I am inheriting a friend's hive, and I have a question about whether/how to go about doing a hive split given the conditions in this hive.
>
> I opened up the hive today for the first time with another newer bee keeper to find the following conditions:
>
> -this hive is one year-old and has not been opened since this February
> -this 10-frame hive currently is made up of 2 deep supers
> -both supers are 100% full of drawn out comb and honey (some capped, mostly uncapped on all 20 frames)
> -the hive is about 50% drones
> -there are no eggs or brood to be found on any frames (again, they're all full of honey)
> -there is no queen to be found and no laying worker (no eggs, no larva, nothing)
> -the bees are looking very abundant, mite free and in good condition nonetheless
>
> I'm adding this hive to a space with two other hives (brand new nucs). My friend suggested that I had three possibilities right now with this hive:
>
> 1. Bring this hive home, add two frames of new eggs to the top super of this hive (one frame from each brand new nuc) and check to see that a queen cell is formed/hatched in 15 days and that a queen begins laying soon there after (he said that in this case, maybe I should not do a hive split?)
>
> OR:
>
> 2. Acquire two new queens and perform a hive split, splitting up the resources (this would be fastest, I imagine, provided someone has queens available right now, if you do and if you think this might be the best option, please let me know)
>
> OR:
>
> 3. Would it make more sense to possibly add these bees to my current nucs to up their numbers? And then split the honey between the two existing nucs so that they have more honey for winter?
>
>
> What would be my best option right now given that there is no queen present in this hive, the hive is roughly 50% drones and entirely full of honey with no extra space?
>
>
> Thank you so much for your help!
> -Cole
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