Question-which comes first?

[hobbitlady]

I'm in a state of being unsure as to what's going on in my now getting full long hive.  I've got drone being filled into back old honey frames and new ones too in the back. What I don't have is queen cells yet. Is that normal?  Or have all of you seen queen cells for swarming go in at the Same time? Or After drones are out? (I don't have any Out yet but any day). I've always seen both with my prior years inspections....but that's "timing".  I do feel I need to split,pretty much as soon as I can. You think I should buy a queen for my split?

[Deleted]

As soon as you buy one they will make queen cells the next day lol. Bees are jerks. Go ahead and split. Make sure you leave your split with eggs and they will raise a queen from them.

[hobbitlady]

@charmd2, Thanks! Yeah,I "sort of" figured that Would happen but I didn't know if "better safe than sorry" (or sorry about losing 30 bucks!) I've only done 3 splits before but all had queen cells so I get to wondering about All kinds of details when I haven't tried even "normal" methods yet........

[indypartridge]

Not every colony will produce queen cells in the spring.
The ones that don't usually produce a lot of surplus honey.
A strong, healthy colony will nearly always produce drones.
Still, one needs to keep a close eye on them this time of year since they can go from zero to swarming in under two weeks.

[Deleted]

I have several that are drone crazy right now and have no queen cells. I have been doing tons of swarm prevention though.

[hobbitlady]

@charmd2, indypartridge, thank you for responding! In my small top bar hives it always seemed like the two went together....drones and queen cells....Unless they had only filled half of the TB. This hive Does have more space,but not a lot now....kind of like a half filled second brood box in a Lang. @charmd2, are you splitting or "doing away" with drone comb or both? or is there something else you can also do? Just curious....

[Deleted]

I am letting raise the drones. I figure they want them, they can have them. I have been doing a lot of checkerboarding aand staying on top of them to make sure they have room though. But, I am running langs not topbars so it is easier to leave the drone comb.

[hobbitlady]

OK! I had One 60 degree sunny yesterday and I did a "good" split. Just one problem I ask about at the end of this...

I guess what I've been doing in Bunker has been horizontal "checkerboarding" since I moved empty frames 3 times already this season into their getting-crowded spaces. My brief concern about laying workers was unfounded since new worker brood has gone in since. They are sure changing Fast in there! The queen stopped laying more drone too. Many hundreds hatched since I only took out one comb that was half covered on both sides with only drone. They've been busy getting their end honey comb filled in now instead of more drone and have small new comb on the empty frames I've put in,except in the very back. It was "cute" seeing all the newly hatched boys milling around in there. I didn't hurt their plan much.

Sooooo,when I started the hive last year I only had a top bar hive for my split Into Bunker. I screwed slats to the tops of the 5 top bars to make them Lang length. They were all in the front at first but I started spreading them out right away this season. So all 5 came out for the split,and bless their hearts,the bees had great comb with brood,eggs and some honey on 4 of the 5. There was even a queen swarm cell on one of them! It was the only New queen cell I saw in all the moving I did. One frame was mostly empty so they have a comb to put honey in when the nurses mature into the new fliers. So my long Lang is All Lang frames now;good to go. I'm real happy it's cleaned out of the old modified top bars.

My only concern is there wasn't a full honey frame for the nuc to get started on. How do I feed a nuc box? I've done 3 other splits but always had a full honey bar for them that gave them time to hatch and mature. Not sure how to go about that but I think I Better do something within a few days due to all the brood and nurses. Any advice @charmd2, indypartridge, ? Thanks.

[indypartridge]

Depends on what equipment resources you may have, and what your nuc is, i.e., 4 or 5 Lang frames I'm guessing?

A boardman feeder would work, if you have one.
If you have an extra nuc box, you could put it on top of your nuc and use in inverted jar.

I've sometimes used ziploc bags - fill with syrup, lay on top of frames, put a couple small slits on the top side. Depending on the lid of your nuc, you may need some kind of spacer so that the lid doesn't compress the ziplock bag.

[Deleted]

Picture of the nuc would be helpful, but yes, ziplock baggies would work.

[hobbitlady]

Yes,and thanks,a baggie is the way-to-go with this nuc box; it was a 5 frame modified with holes instead of boardman feeder type entry so the splits into top bar hives would be "at home".That would be in my Beginner days,ahem.

Making another nuc box is on my list and I Really need to Do that. I learned my lesson on that one. Even for top bar hives I want the bottom with porch entries now.Don't Care what the "Spurts"(aka experts) prefer as "good for the bees" in top bar hives. I've learned bees will adapt to just about anything without the touted "stress" I first read about. Holes are to keep mice out but honestly;how hard is a screen mouse guard? ROFL

In Bunker,(and 2 top bars last year)I separate the inserted feeder(on one end of entry) from the rest of the entry with a slat(door at other end from feeder) and all the "robbing" I read about (people who complain about boardman feeders) just isn't effective that way. The hive bees eat inside and the robbers have to get All the way in and fight for 8 inches Inside the hive to rob. It doesn't happen....they can't Get that far in a well guarded colony;or else few make it.I decided boardmans are what I Like using. As I modified my top bars no more holes for doors with wine corks for reducing,ha.

Anyhow,thanks indypartridge , @charmd2 , I knew about baggies but wondered if pouring some dry sugar in would better or what-all. I guess dry sugar is Only a "winter" thing?

oh! BTW I have bees orienting on the nuc already! lovin it....

[Deleted]

I have never had luck getting bees to take dry sugar any time they weren't clustered right on it giving it plenty of cluster respiration moisture. A main reason I love it in winter. It helps with moisture control and emergency food.

Your mileage may vary. I really need to get some tbh's set back up so I can play with them alongside you.