Hi @becw, I still can’t see a peanut shaped Queen cell in the middle of the frame. Can you perhaps circle the area on the image?
Given your concern about the amount of drone cells, were they end or middle frames?
You appear to have brood cells so someone appears to be laying fresh eggs…I wouldn’t be too concerned.
Edit: the request to circle was posted at the same time @BecW posted the marked up photo…
You’re right, it is hard to see. Was there an egg in there? I’ve had 4 empty play cups this season, so far.
Generally swarm cells are on the bottom of the frame so don’t believe they are in swarm mode and as Snowy says if the pictured frames are from the outside and not in the middle of the brood nest it’s no big deal, that is what you can get when you don’t use foundation. If it is from the middle of the brood nest then the qc may be the beginnings of a supersedure cell cos the bees know it ain’t right either.
Seems like you’re about to start a business selling nucs (swarms)… And just as you were commenting about preparing for your later years!
So please tell me… why were you setting swarm traps??? 
I think we need to start bee-addicts anonymous. 
@SnowflakeHoney…yes eggs in some of the 20 odd swarm cells. Definitely swarm cells but also several emergency Queen cells. I’m thinking failing Queen. And play the waiting game to see what happens. We managed to mark a Queen but she was very small . Thinking she was virgin.
This brood pattern is throughout the whole 8 frames of brood Two outer frames are honey. Definitely swarms cells and emergency cells with larva just don’t have images of them.
Yes throughout the whole brood.
(sorry just trying to remember how to quote and attention)
I don’t know Dawn, I don’t know…
Just placed adds on bookface.
I added frames to the box, it was only a small swarm, covered the 3 frames already in the hive. Very gentle, but most swarms are eh.
Well that didn’t take long, all sold subject to my conditions.My dilemma is that I like @JeffH’s way, the customer supplying the hive body and frames and installing the bees here, checking on progress then getting them picked up, More responsible and safe but the semi commercial buyers want them all and now. I’d rather sell to backyarders like myself but is it better to get rid of them all in one hit?
Whaddya think.
Whatever makes life easiest and whatever you can live with. That’s probably the best way forward. And given you were looking to move them on… Seems like a good outcome
So I harvested another 8kg yesterday, a month after getting 5.5kg.
HOWEVER… The (capped) brood pattern is neither great nor plentiful and about half the frames appeared to have supercedure cells similar to what is in the photo below. I also couldn’t locate the Queen.
BUT (and I’m hoping here) colony size didn’t appear to be much down, if at all, from the last inspection 2 weeks ago… So if the colony did swarm it was a small swarm or if my hive was queenless hopefully a new Queen is starting to get busy…
… I’m no good at spotting eggs… Else I might have a bit more confidence at this point…
Oh well, let’s see what the next inspection yields in a week…
(For those that might query me robbing the hive, my hybrid still has 4 full traditional frames and I’ve got 2 full traditional frames being stored. Coupled with a reasonably good nectar flow and pollen availability, at present the colony won’t starve)
That frame looks like one of mine. I think we had a failing Queen. Gunshot pattern. Queen cells everywhere, drone and worker brood mixed up. Ordered a new queen.
Thanks @BecW … Did you ensure the old Queen was killed before transplanting the new one?
I live in hope atm…
Not got the new queen yet. It’s a waiting game really I think. There was a capped Queen cell. Plus we put in new brood. Insurance I guess. I hope nature takes its course and they kill the old marked queen and they rear a new amazing one before the bought queen becomes available. You?
I’ll be trying to find time to do an inspection this weekend… That photo/post is from last weekend.
Well bit the bullet and feed my hives this weekend. Just a little to make it through this dearth. My hive with a scale on it has lost 3.5-4kgs over the last 30 days. Not expecting a good flow now until mid Jan based on last years nectar gap.
Adam
Hiya Adam, I keep hearing about Perth suburbia folk harvesting now and yet here in the hills, nothing. I’m not at the feed stage yet and it’s good you’ve picked up on it with yours as a reminder to all to beware of the dearth. I added wsp’s to some colonys to cater for this and, although inspections are a bit more work, have found the extra honey stored mitigates the dearth situation. So far.
I noticed yesterday a lot of activity in front of a couple of hives, sort of looked like a robbing frenzy 3 o’clock ish but I could not see any fighting.
Jarrah is flowering now but not much here and marri is just beginning to bud so probably looking around March for this years flow.
Skeg I’m in Bunbury and got caught out last year with a dearth between early Dec to late Jan. I certainly wasn’t expecting a summer dearth given my bees forage range is half between suburban and bush.
Some of my hives are doing ok and some are struggling. The struggling ones are more black which surprises me too. I also asked a lot of a couple of the hives with them drawing out 20+ frames of foundationless.
Adam
Adam
Down in the South East Hills of Perth, things are looking up.
I am trying to decide if I should harvest a couple of frames now or wait for six full frames before robbing at least 5.
I’m also waiting on a new Queen from Jack as I have my new horizontal flow hive hive 90% complete and will be splitting this hive into my HFH with the new queen.
These pictures were taken 15 minutes ago.
