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BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: hrtull on August 01, 2020, 04:13:45 pm

Title: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: hrtull on August 01, 2020, 04:13:45 pm
Myself and another employee  kept bees at a golf course we worked at but the Covid threat for a couple of 71 year olds kept us away this year.  2 hives swarmed early in the year and this hive was left unattended until yesterday. It was a hive that we captured late summer last year, placed in a deep where they overwintered. I assumed they would be long gone but golf superintendent called an said there was a lot of activity so I made the 50 mile round trip and this is what I found.  I came unprepared to deal with honey extraction if required. I placed a 10 frame deep on top and left.  I plan on moving this 25 miles to my house. My question is how do I deal with this packed box and get it sorted out to move. I did not pulled any frames because it seemed to be one huge mass bonded together when I attempted to do so.. I was surprised at the amount of bees and more so the amount of honey.  Curious where the room is for brood. Never been here before. Any guidance on this would be appreciated, Thanks HT
Title: Re: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: Acebird on August 01, 2020, 06:29:10 pm
Why didn't you take it while you were there?  It is going to be harder now.
Title: Re: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: iddee on August 01, 2020, 07:21:21 pm
Normal situation for lazy folks like me. Give them a week to clean up. Then take it home and treat like any other hive. Nothing special needed.
Title: Re: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: FatherMichael on August 01, 2020, 07:21:31 pm
What a great problem to have!
Title: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: TheHoneyPump on August 01, 2020, 10:25:57 pm
Put a brood box of empty drawn combs UNDER, put it on the bottom board.  The brood nest will naturally move down.  Once queenie is down below laying out her patches, which you verify one week later by seeing her .... then add a second empty box on that bottom one AND place a queen excluder on the second box.  Put the super you just added today/yesterday above the QE as the third, next take that heavy packed box and put up on top as the fourth.  Then they will be good for awhile, until your fall/winter preps start wherever you are and you get on with reducing them back down for winter.  At that time adjust their winter reserves level and take you honey for extracting.

Hope that helps!
Title: Re: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: iddee on August 02, 2020, 06:11:12 am
I don't know about Ohio, but the honey flow is over here. They will not fill another deep before winter here.
Title: Re: Unattended Hive Packed with Honey
Post by: Acebird on August 02, 2020, 09:13:51 am
Put a brood box of empty drawn combs UNDER, put it on the bottom board.
If the deep is full of honey it is not going to be fun fooling around with a box underneath especially if you are 71 years old.