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General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #11098  by JoJo36
 07 Jun 2021, 20:14
Its all happening now!

My lovely quiet hive 1 had a sealed queen cell and the bees were tetchy on inspection! About 7 full frames of sealed brood and I didn't have a spare brood box so decided to bite the bullet and rejoin hive 2 which is 8 days after split.

I smoked them (and me) and put back the sealed brood I had placed downstairs with two other frames of clean drawn comb and placed in top box with queen! Kept on puffing and shook flying bees off to wait their turn to rejoin hive!
Hopefully they haven't murdered her, almost past caring at this point so I took snelgrove board and now empty brood box and did a snelgrove 2 adapted method on hive 1!

It was like musical chairs! I put super back on top box instead of bottom one AGAIN, but it didn't seem to matter too much last time! What I don't want now is hive 2 starting more swarm cells...............
 #11109  by NigelP
 08 Jun 2021, 16:27
Well they are joined :).
Actually found for the first time some new queen cells in the box with the queen in one hive, so the current 100% record has gone. She is a fairly old queen so maybe they are trying to tell me something.
 #11111  by MickBBKA
 09 Jun 2021, 00:44
The last 3 days I have been extracting supers. OMG, I never knew inland beekeeping was so easy. Since moving 5 colonies each to my 2 new apiaries I am gobsmacked in the difference away from the East winds of death. From not having a single full frame in any colony about 3 weeks or so ago every colony at them has filled at least 4 supers, 2 are onto their 6th. This is a real eye opener to my locals. I have had to use brood boxes as supers. Not a single swarm this year which may be spring weather related and only one supercedure. From the pit of despair my bees have dragged me out into my happy place. I really am surprised, I was all for writing off this year. Bees have taught me a massive lesson...............Again !!
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 #11112  by JoJo36
 09 Jun 2021, 05:49
Almost 100% success rate is still pretty good Nigel:)
Better check mine again today or tomorrow!!
Mick, that looks amazing and to think you thought only a short while ago that this year was a disaster??!!
My two new queen seem very slow to start building up, but one was a nuc and other the farmers shook swarm queen less for weeks so I'll just leave them to it!
 #11140  by Bobbysbees
 11 Jun 2021, 17:36
Well Today was fun... ish.
Went out and tried the Snelgrove 2 adaption on my moody swarmy hive.
We will see in 4 days if I missed any eggs on the brood frames in the bottom box .
I used 2 as the double brood was crammed with larvae and nectar and stuck in 2 frames nectar and pollen either side as the double brood was stuffed with it.
Spent yesterday sorting out/finding a brood box and enough frames with foundation to perform todays juggling act. Eventually located enough having raided my long hive and one of my swarm traps.
So fingers crossed that I got it right. (of course I didn't first go lol. I had to take it all apart again and put the supers where they should be under the brood for the flyers to keep working.)
So much cursing heaving and sweating and the skyscraper is now finished.
I'm going to head out later tonight and cobble together a few ratchet straps to tie it down cause none of mine are long enough. I really don't fancy having to pick all the bits up in the wind with that amount of unhappy girls flying around. NO NO NO NO NO!
Plus my better half would probably get quite acerbic about it and do the I told you so dance.
 #11142  by JoJo36
 11 Jun 2021, 18:48
Sounds good :)

I accidentally placed my super above brood box with queen, but as it seemed to be okay last time I did the same this time!!! The flyers drew out 2 frames of undrawn comb in a week and filled partially with nectar!

The bees definitely not happy today so will leave until Sunday for a check again!! Not looking forward to it unless they cheer up??!!
 #11145  by NigelP
 11 Jun 2021, 19:11
Just a thought that I'm playing with,,,,,,if you have the space do a "pagden" and put bits side by side BUT with the queen with the nurse bees. i.e the opposite of a normal pagden.
It can be a struggle with all the brood and supers and height.
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