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ocba - Re: [ocba] Reading my hive (part 2), weak hive

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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: Re: [ocba] Reading my hive (part 2), weak hive
  • Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 09:27:48 -0400

My wife use to have a Sandra Boynton cartoon poster with the teacher saying "Billy, there is no such thing as a stupid question, but if there were, that certainly would have been one." No one has chimed in with an opinion on my weak-hive questions, I was wondering if they were too simple or obtuse?


On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 10:58 AM, MarilynMark Clark <wazazi.wa.binti AT gmail.com> wrote:
In mid June I had an inactive hive which was started from a package in mid May and seemed strong at first.  But by mid June I was afraid it had gone queenless since I could only find capped brood; so, as suggested by Randall Austin, I added some egg-laden frames from my other hive just as insurance.  Checking it again the middle of this month I saw all stages of brood which makes me think that the queen was there all along, but had taken a hiatus for some reason.  But, the hive is still very weak: they take very little sugar water and let the pollen patties I gave them dry up.  I checked them again when I did my sugar shake test yesterday (second time for me, I hated missing the workshop).  No mites, but poor brood patterns, too many drone cells for my taste, and less activity at the entrance, and few bees for two hive bodies (full and Illinois 10 frame) in the middle of the summer.  I saw no queen cells.

Should I keep feeding the eggs from the other hive and look for improvement?  Attempt to find the queen, kill her, and add eggs?  Why aren't the workers dissatisfied with her?  Buy a queen  (I hate this option, even for as a not-for-profit hobbyist), but ... ? 

Mark




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