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General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #10818  by Alfred
 09 May 2021, 21:10
Thanks Nigel
Ive never actually seen any of my queens to even contemplate clipping or marking- even when the boxes aren't stuffed full.
Thats a gift I may never get given....
I listen to you and Id love some stayput colonies but begging cant be choosing at least for the time being

Yes they are all fairly prolific and Ive had to go double brood almost all the way round
The one I was desperate to keep were the only decent honey producers but that super is virtually empty again now.
Bad day at the office
Last edited by Alfred on 09 May 2021, 21:17, edited 1 time in total.
 #10819  by MickBBKA
 09 May 2021, 21:11
Checked all other colonies today in balmy 14c and howling wind. No QC's in any colony. 2 small colonies with just 6 frames of brood were starving so I have fed them.
I have recently been given the use of 2 apiaries much further inland so will be moving several to them this week. One is 90 acres of private woodland along the river and its ssi land so there may be hope yet. BBC weather for my area shows rain every day until 22nd of May........Fantastic.
 #10823  by NigelP
 10 May 2021, 09:08
Already has....no rain on Teesside forecast for Thurs/Fri/Sat and only light rain showers for the other days with light winds.
Same in my area.
Bees are already out and foraging so some hope....But way behind last year...I've just put a bucket of honey to melt in my apimelter dated 15th May 2020.

Alfred, queen spotting is something that you are either a natural at (like my better half) or something you constantly work at (like me). If you can scan a frame and pick out drone's then you are just about there. But some queens are simply elusive, jumping off frames and hiding on side of hives. I reckon I only have about 60% of mine marked and clipped, and the repetitive reason for inspections on these hives is "find and mark queen".
 #10828  by Patrick
 10 May 2021, 14:18
Bad luck Alfred, sometimes beekeeping knocks you right back on your a...e and you wonder just why you bother. Even when you apparently did all the "right" things and it was going just fine. I have had a few already too.

All I can say is dust yourself off and use it to make plan to see if there is something you can do to refine your method by at least one thing in the future. Then something positive comes out of it.

For me clipping queens was a game changer, so much more than simply extending the inspection windows as is often suggested. I am sure you know all the usual hacks and tips to find queens but maybe its worth simply asking someone else at the start of the season to go through your bees with you to find them so you can mark and clip? Its worth a bottle of something decent to know its done.

I know I was told years ago to look for queens as queens, not just for the a bee with a coloured mark on it, but I am coming to the conclusion that actually seeing them regularly (marked or not) does help keep you keep your eye in.
 #10829  by Patrick
 10 May 2021, 14:22
JoJo36 wrote:
09 May 2021, 08:26
Just a quick one if I may??!!

My farmers hive I did a shook swarm on had a queen cell that has emerged (somewhere).
I've constantly fed sugar syrup to them to draw out all combs which they've done and added syrup to quite a few of the frames.
Do you think I should now remove feeder and add a super to give them room or should I wait as will they just bring syrup up from brood to super frames??!! I'm hoping queen will get mated and will have a nice clean hive to lay in??!!
Personally I would take the feeder off at this stage and put a super. Just keep on your toes if they look like they need feeding again..
 #10830  by JoJo36
 10 May 2021, 17:32
Thanks Patrick.
Just seen your post now after I have just put on a super of undrawn comb and topped up feeder to possibly give them something to do ie draw out some comb. I can always take off feeder tomorrow??!!

Lots of bees but no brood, eggs etc., but I've probably not left it alone long enough for a mated queen to return??!!

The frame of sugar syrup I added to my hive no 1 with no nectar in brood was already scoffed so I added and marked two more sugar syrup frames. The weather totally crappy with 40mph winds and about 13 degrees!

What happened to "global warming"??!!
 #10831  by NigelP
 10 May 2021, 19:59
Several hives/nucs with no eggs or young brood. Some supersedure cells.
Queens not seen...back tomorrow for more detailed inspections and try and figure what is going on. Torrential thunderstorm whilst doing inspections is not what the BBC advertised :).
Have the bees made supersedures cells because the queen is not laying due to the cold weather and they think she is failing or are several of my queens failing at the same time?....me thinks will be KOing queen cells.
One hive has one beautiful capped supersedure cells and two frames full of eggs....
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