BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

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  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #3345  by Adam Bee
 02 Jun 2019, 13:46
Hello from Hertfordshire.

I’ve been studying beekeeping for the last 3 years and I now have a colony that’s doing well, just into its 4th week with me; having been installed from a 6 frame nuc.

I’m running one sized boxes with no queen excluder, as honey is not paramount to me.

The ladies drew out the entire first box (the additional 6 frames) by midweek, last week; all brood except the two outer most frames which were stores. Most of the old nuc frames also have about an inch of stores along the top of the frame. Due to their lack of space, I nadired another box for brood at the end of last week’s inspection.

On Thursday, for my weekly inspection, they hadn’t moved down into the new box and I also found one small empty queen cup (which I removed) at the bottom of an outside frame in the top box. Because they seemed rammed (every frame covered deeply in bees) on top and empty on the bottom, I took the outer two frames from each side of the top box, each side had one frame of stores and one of brood, and moved them down to the middle of the new lower box.

We'll see if that makes them happier.

Glad to be here. Looking forward to any advice or help given in a positive spirit.
 #3346  by Patrick
 02 Jun 2019, 14:13
Welcome to the Forum Adam

Sounds like you have put a bit of graft in before actually getting bees, which is a very sensible move. Sure there will be plenty of help and points of discussion available on here.

We all keep bees for different reasons and with different methods, none of them are "wrong" - although mine are blatantly "righter" than average.. :D :D :D !! I wish..

I grew up in Hertfordshire and its where I am at the moment as it goes. Your bees should do well.
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