First Look for the New Season

[FatherMichael]

Temperatures are finally warm enough day and night for a MAQS treatment.

I added a super because the bees are bearding outside in tremendous numbers even in the cool weather we've been having.  They were all up in the folds of the blankets.

Discovered that they had plenty of stores left over from last fall through the winter; so, even if they swarm, it's a good start for this year.

Didn't break into the deep hive body.  There are orientation flights every day.  Why bother them?

Didn't insert the slatted rack.  Will wait until summer.

Building a much nicer cover for this hive.

[iddee]

Do break into the  deep hive body. If she doesn't have open cells to lay in, she will swarm. If she has already made swarm cells, you will need to make a split and get her out of there.

[Ben Framed]

Do break into the  deep hive body. If she doesn't have open cells to lay in, she will swarm. If she has already made swarm cells, you will need to make a split and get her out of there.

That is sound advice;  Or you can wait for them to swarm, hoping you will catch the swarm. If you split them, you will have created your own swarm and in your care. The circumstances are so much more in your favor by following Iddees advise in my opinion.

Phillip Hall

[FatherMichael]

I've put everything I have out for bait hives and swarm traps, even the Pro Nuc box that my nuc came in last spring.  It still has the queen cage.  Maybe I should put that in Mary's hive?

[Ben Framed]

I've put everything I have out for bait hives and swarm traps, even the Pro Nuc box that my nuc came in last spring.  It still has the queen cage.  Maybe I should put that in Mary's hive.

Let me add, I hope I am not talking you out of it, if it may be you are anticipating the joy of catching a swarm. After all, beekeeping needs to be and stay fun for all of us. Sometimes what is the more sure way is not always the funnest way. lol

If you decide to let them do their thing, I hope you do catch them in one of your swarm boxes. If so update us and let us in on the fun!  lol. 

Phillip Hall

[FatherMichael]

Thanks, Phillip.

Though I am treating for mites, it seems from what I've read that natural swarming provides a brood break that mitigates mites.

[Ben Framed]

It is not a bad idea in treating your new swarm when it arrives. (OAV) I would not recommend treating them too soon however, you can cause them to abscond if you do not give them a proper time to settle in and become established. UNLESS you take the necessary precautions which were discussed on another swarm trap topic. (Once they are established and Ms Queen is laying, before their first brood is capped then treat).

Phillip Hall

Let me add, I just recently read that Kathy spoke of a swarm of a virgin queen. This is something I have not heard of. I have heard of virgins in a swarm but I understood it to also have a mated queen and the virgin"virgins just tagged along.

 

[FatherMichael]

If this hive were going to swarm I think they might have today.  It's 75* today.

But there is no bearding and a lot of normal forage and orientation activity at the entrance.

Maybe adding the super did the trick?

In the future I'll think about making splits and such.

Yes, Phillip, Mary and I have agreed that we don't want this to become work.

Went out to the farm to check on one of my bait hives.  Nothing there but I did a little bee scouting and discovered that I'm in the right place.  The bee that I watched took off in a direction right over the bait hive.

[iddee]

Adding the super DID NOT do the trick. Adding the super does nothing to add laying space in the broodnest and that is what prevents swarming

[FatherMichael]

Adding the super DID NOT do the trick. Adding the super does nothing to add laying space in the broodnest and that is what prevents swarming

Pretty sure she has enough laying space.  Robert Jones III and other have done the math for how much a queen needs for that.  An 8 frame deep far exceeds the number computed.

We had a very mild winter and it seems she was laying the whole time through, yielding a great number of bees.

There are zero bees festooning/bearding outside today, though it was the warmest day so far.

[iddee]

OK, so are you saying there are no more than 14,000 cells containing honey, pollen, or bee bread in the deep to feed 18,000 larva, with 42,000 cells taken up with brood. That is less than one cell of food per larva.
A queen can lay 2,000 or more eggs a day, so there can be 42,000 cells with brood or more at any given time.
There are 56,000 cells in 8 deep frames. "approx."

[FatherMichael]

OK, so are you saying there are no more than 14,000 cells containing honey, pollen, or bee bread in the deep to feed 18,000 larva, with 42,000 cells taken up with brood. That is less than one cell of food per larva.
A queen can lay 2,000 or more eggs a day, so there can be 42,000 cells with brood or more at any given time.
There are 56,000 cells in 8 deep frames. "approx."

I'm thinking there may be more than one factor involved in swarming.  Having enough room for everyone might be one of them.

This hive overwintered with a strong population and heavy stores in a deep and medium.  Now it has a second medium above a queen excluder.

If they already started queen cells to swarm then I'd just as soon not know about it because I wouldn't want to kill them.  Plus, getting in there might chill the brood.

These are gentle and attractive bees for my back yard from a productive Cordovan queen.  To my thinking there are three good outcomes: produce honey if they do not swarm, catch a swarm if they do, or both.

[jtcmedic]

Bucket with a stick

[FatherMichael]

Bucket with a stick

Fantastic!  Thanks!