So here's my update from last inspection. I want to start with a huge thanks to Nigel for the advice on this. Here goes:
Sunday 30th June
Hive 1 - queenless. Today I went in with the aim of checking for an emerged QC. Instead the QCs I saw last week were completely gone. Torn down. There was a sign they were there but now nothing. I found five more QCs on a frame I didn't think had brood in it as it was freshly drawn and mostly drone. Really white comb..
Hive 2 - nuc with the queen from hive 1 and some brood. All good. Eggs, happy bees, happy queen. She's big. Happy Jazz.
Hive 3 - Micro swarm. Their QCs must have failed. They were torn down. There was no sign of a virgin queen at all. The bees were flighty, angry(ish). There was some capped brood which must be all that's left.
I took a frame from the other queenless hive - with near-emerging brood and a single QC and placed it in this little nuc. I figured if they were destined to become angrier as they grew with their own queen, then maybe this other queen could be calmer. Still, it depends on the drone she mates with so my logic isn't flawless by any means.
*stupid error moment - I wanted the older bees off the frame I was transferring so gave it a gentle shake. Only realised later on when I was thinking over everything, that I shook a frame with a queen in...*
Mini mating hive - so proud of this one. I opened it up, checked the QC wrapped in foil - open, lovely round hole in end. Took it away. My wife spotted the virgin queen, we caught her and marked her. I took out some comb from the feeder and replaced broken foundation. All else pretty good. Saw stores and pollen. Closed it up.
Only bad thing to this one is there's some of the apicandy stuff gunked on the bottom of the feeder and I'd added sugar syrup on top with cork floaters. Can imagine it's going to need a good clean out.
My next move is to:
1. Inspect the nuc as per usual - it's a standard queenright nuc so why not..
2. Quickly check over the queenless colony in my Abelo poly hive. Hopefully spot a virgin queen - it would put my mind at ease
3. Check on the micro swarm nuc. If there's a virgin in there and everything is happy I'll leave them be. If not I'll tip them out on the grass and let them find their own way into my other hives
4. Not touch mini mating hive. Well.. Maybe I'll add some feed and check the bright green queen is there..
Sunday 30th June
Hive 1 - queenless. Today I went in with the aim of checking for an emerged QC. Instead the QCs I saw last week were completely gone. Torn down. There was a sign they were there but now nothing. I found five more QCs on a frame I didn't think had brood in it as it was freshly drawn and mostly drone. Really white comb..
Hive 2 - nuc with the queen from hive 1 and some brood. All good. Eggs, happy bees, happy queen. She's big. Happy Jazz.
Hive 3 - Micro swarm. Their QCs must have failed. They were torn down. There was no sign of a virgin queen at all. The bees were flighty, angry(ish). There was some capped brood which must be all that's left.
I took a frame from the other queenless hive - with near-emerging brood and a single QC and placed it in this little nuc. I figured if they were destined to become angrier as they grew with their own queen, then maybe this other queen could be calmer. Still, it depends on the drone she mates with so my logic isn't flawless by any means.
*stupid error moment - I wanted the older bees off the frame I was transferring so gave it a gentle shake. Only realised later on when I was thinking over everything, that I shook a frame with a queen in...*
Mini mating hive - so proud of this one. I opened it up, checked the QC wrapped in foil - open, lovely round hole in end. Took it away. My wife spotted the virgin queen, we caught her and marked her. I took out some comb from the feeder and replaced broken foundation. All else pretty good. Saw stores and pollen. Closed it up.
Only bad thing to this one is there's some of the apicandy stuff gunked on the bottom of the feeder and I'd added sugar syrup on top with cork floaters. Can imagine it's going to need a good clean out.
My next move is to:
1. Inspect the nuc as per usual - it's a standard queenright nuc so why not..
2. Quickly check over the queenless colony in my Abelo poly hive. Hopefully spot a virgin queen - it would put my mind at ease
3. Check on the micro swarm nuc. If there's a virgin in there and everything is happy I'll leave them be. If not I'll tip them out on the grass and let them find their own way into my other hives
4. Not touch mini mating hive. Well.. Maybe I'll add some feed and check the bright green queen is there..
Jazz