ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
List archive
- From: "Brian and Lanette Fee" <fee436 AT att.net>
- To: <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!
- Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 22:32:30 -0400
Dear Abbee, I got two nucs in the spring. One has been a strong hive that has done quite well. The other one has done so-so, but it was always a weaker hive. Recently the weaker hive took a precipitous fall. About a week ago and a half ago, I no longer saw eggs in the weaker hive. The bees had started to make their own queen. I think these queen cells were made using older larvae and in a hurry. The queen cells were small. I cut these out and gave them a frame from the stronger hive that had a mix of eggs and larvae. I made sure I had eggs on the frame so they had a good start if they needed to make their own queen. I also started hunting to buy a queen to save time. This took a while, but a got one ordered late last week. Last Saturday, I hear a noise 40 feet up in a tree and, bummer, a swarm, but I didn’t know from which hive, but I didn’t have time to go into them right away. The ordered queen comes, and I go into the bees to find the strong hive is still brimming with bees, but has about 7 very nice looking queen cells, also eggs, and larvae of various sizes. I don’t believe this queen can fly. From day one she has had damaged wings. In a case like that, what happens to the old queen since she is the one that normally leaves? I cut out the swarm cells. The weak hive is now a dying hive. I think this one is either the one that swarmed or it’s dying a very fast death. Since there are so many swarm cells in the strong hive, I’m thinking that by accident, I moved a queen cell to the weak hive – that or they just saw the writing on the wall and left. There are still a fair number of bees in the weak hive. Taking stock of what I have: I have one hive that is dying with still a good number of bees in it. Does it have a queen? I’m not sure. I have a new purchased queen. And, I have a hive that desperately wants to swarm. What do I do? My inclination is to move the old queen to a nuc and fake a swarm, then install the newly purchased queen in the old hive, then dismantle the dying hive. Is that a good idea? What’s the best way to fake a swarm? How much brood etc., should I move with the old, strong queen? What do I do with the bees in the old, weak hive? How long will my purchased queen live without a hive? She has attendants with her. If I use her to fake the swarm of the old, strong hive, how long should I wait before I put the purchased queen in with that hive after I’ve moved the old queen out? So many problems, so little time. Anyone out there have any pearls of wisdom? Lanette |
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[ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!,
Brian and Lanette Fee, 09/04/2014
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Re: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!,
John Friedrick, 09/05/2014
- Re: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!, Randall Austin, 09/05/2014
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Re: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!,
Lewis Cauble, 09/05/2014
- Re: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!, Brian and Lanette Fee, 09/05/2014
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Re: [ocba] Dear Abbee, my whoas are many!,
John Friedrick, 09/05/2014
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