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Author Topic: too many different answers  (Read 2802 times)

Offline cubcadet

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too many different answers
« on: August 28, 2017, 03:42:47 pm »
Hello everyone

A few weeks ago I posted re catching swarms and when to check for brood.....well time has passed.....
Opened the hives on Aug17...My swarm captures had no eggs, larvae and very very few capped brood.  Also my own hive that has swarmed was in the same
condition....Looked extensively for queen in all four hives and found none.  Newbie panic set in.   I contacted my mentor and also the leader of our bee club for
advice.....here we go.......both said to combine hives with strong ones....
I did this....so now have four hives.   Have not seen a tremendous amount of activity.....just seems like there should be more bees but the pollen is coming in every morning until mid day from the blooming goldenrod here in Pa. and again in the late afternoon evening.
There are two things I am trying to understand/find out and answer for....one.....when I combined hives I took the weak hive and placed in on top of the
strong hive.  deeps and mediums.  brood chambers and honey supers.    Should I be taking excess honey off now or do as my mentor said and wait until they
cluster.    Two......when should I be checking and sorting out the frames in the brood chambers so that I only have two instead of three or four like I have now
AND  Guess there were three things to ask about....lol....Combined on AUG 17    when should I be checking them....one told me to wait until frost  the other said in a week.  Like someone said...ask three beekeepers the same question and get FOUR different answers...I JUST NEED ADVISE/HELP   Thanks all

Offline Acebird

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2017, 05:52:57 pm »
I wonder how many of those beekeepers who told you to combine them know what they are doing?  Anything that you do to a hive can have a good outcome or a bad outcome depending on the details.  You say you have 4 hives now.  Are any of them queen right that you know are queen right?  Were there any before you started to combine?  I think it is difficult to inspect a hive in August and September at the near end of the season.  It is time consuming and heavy lifting because supers are full of honey.  Why combine a hive at this point in the season?  Why inspect a hive at this point in the season?
I hate to suggest what you should do because it is anybodies guess as to what you have.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline cubcadet

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2017, 07:18:49 pm »
The four strong hives were queenright when they were combined.  I am going to let them go and let things run their course for now.  When it comes time to take the honey off I hope to be able to determine how things are going within

Offline eltalia

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2017, 07:24:06 pm »
I hate to suggest what you should do because it is anybodies guess as to what you have.

An' right there is the core of the problem the OP cites... PEBKAC.

There is a backstory behind this post the OP makes now, that information
clears the blank space in this post.
I cannot help this chap, I doubt you could and I am certain there is no
better help available than what is being given locally. After all those mentors
are the people who will be looking the weeping newbie in the eye, or not.

Compliments.

Bill



Offline eltalia

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2017, 07:28:26 pm »
The four strong hives were queenright when they were combined.  I am going to let them go and let things run their course for now.  When it comes time to take the honey off I hope to be able to determine how things are going within

   : nodding:
Likely the optimum path forward.
As the toon says.."know when to hold them, know when to..."

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Acebird

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2017, 08:25:24 pm »
The four strong hives were queenright when they were combined.
My way of thinking is if you knew that then you should have combined all the others that you weren't sure of together.  I know, it doesn't agree with a lot of other advice you will get but right now you wouldn't be worried about the four hives you have.  It gets easier.  Stick with it.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline tycrnp

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Re: too many different answers
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2017, 01:57:20 pm »
Cubcadet,
I too caught swarms and soon after found them to be queenless - I re-queened.  Do you have an update?