Be careful about removing queen cells. The bees built them for a reason and many times they will swarm even if you removed the cells if that was their intent. Now if they swarm, they’ll be hopelessly queen-less. In my humble observations, swarming has not hurt my honey crop and may have actually increased it.
I do look for swarm cells but only for making splits. Swarm cells are like gold when making splits because these are queens the bees intended to make from the moment the egg was laid vs emergency cells where the bees chose “the best available”.
I will remember that in future. I don’t need anymore hives at present…maxed out, so I wasn’t interested in making splits at this time. But, I appreciate your comments and will take them “under advisement” for future bee management. Thanks! I did feel really bad about one very nice queen cell that I removed. Was wishing later that I had not done that!
I thought I would give an update on my original post about population explosion of my Flow Hive. Hoping I’ve done it in the right place so you can all look back at the original post and the discussion that developed. Part of it was me bemoaning the fact I also have a second hybrid Flow Hive that no bees have been interested in using for the past 2 years.
Well, on Tuesday, my Flow Hive looked like a scene from Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Of course, this sort of thing always happens when I am gone; however, my husband caught it on video and camera. I was pretty sure this hive was going to swarm; but they ended up settling down. Advice from locals, was that the queen was likely “not quite ready” but I should expect them to swarm soon.
The next day, I decided to try to create an “artificial swarm” as a last ditch attempt to keep them. It was obvious to me that I needed to provide more room and reduce the population (the configuration is 2 deeps with the Flow. The Flow frames are about 60% capped). Queenie just had no room to lay and there was little open cell room in the Flows that wasn’t already full of nectar of sealed honey. So here’s what I did:
Removed 4 frames of brood and bees from this Flow Hive and put them into the nearby hybrid hive where no activity was taking place (hybrid = 3 unused Flow frames/4 unused standard deep frames). Replaced those removed with 4 new deep frames and added a medium super with all new frames (would have added another deep; but out of equipment). Took 2 almost full Flow Frames out of the Flow Hive and replaced those with 2 unused Flow frames from the hybrid. All the bees that were on those brood frames and the Flow Frames went into the second hive just as they were (no attempt to segregate the two colonies).
As of today, all looks good. The Flow Hive seems to have stabilized; and the bees in the hybrid frame seem to be actively working the empty super there that no one wanted to touch previously. The bees in the Flow HIve have no issues with the Flow Frames “borrowed” from the hybrid hive that no one would touch previously. They are working them like crazy.
So, only time will tell whether this hive will swarm; but at least I can sleep tonight!
Wow- you almost can’t see the beehive for the bees. Sounds like a good plan and hopefully kills two birds with one stone. Please update us on how the hybrid super goes.
Maybe if you had a spare box you could put out a swarm trap just in case the bees are set on swarming regardless.
Nope. I left queen in the original hive. All is well in both over a week later
I already had a good queen in the hybrid hive, so I just moved frames around to try to make room in the full Flow hive to prevent swarming. Beginners luck, I suppose, but it seems to have worked. The Flow hive has room to expand; and the hybrid is now being used after adding 4 frames of brood/nurse bees to it along with 2 partially capped flow frames.
I harvested one Flow frame from the full Flow hive a few days later and the bees are busy cleaning it up and refilling, along with filling those two pesky Flow Frames from the hybrid hive that my bees had refused to use for 2 seasons!
Say, is that a bee hive inside a plastic cold frame? Did you have this setup over winter?
I bought one to winter over my hive, but am having second thoughts…
Actually, I am just using that mini greenhouse to store my extra hive equipment as I have outgrown my garden shed and this was something of my son’s that he was not using. However, what a good idea. It’s not cold enough here for me to worry about it, but I don’t see why it would not work. It certainly works to keep the plants I’ve put in it from freezing.
The two sides zip up, or you could keep one side open for bee access. Oh…I just went outside to take another look and the sticking point may be that the shelves (which also provide stability) would have to be removed to accommodate a hive that was more than 1 deep box high. Removing one shelf may be ok…removing the center two would probably be marginal. I’ll include a photo so you can take a closer look.
I do have a larger 4 x 8 (I think it is) greenhouse that is of the same material and that would really work much better for even multiple hives.
The shelves will not stand up to a brood and super full of honey. Collapse if on the cards. Better to put the frame over your hive and stand
and leave out the lower shelves.
Good reminder, Dan. I just started using this this summer for extra equipment storage room. So far, I have only had empty or new frames with just foundation. All my frames with comb are in use; but as winter approaches I’m sure I will have some with wax in them. I’ll likely do with those what I have in past years…freezer, fridge or solar melter! You are so right about wax moths and rodents!
Tony - I never really intended this to be promoted as a great idea for honey super storage. It is really just to store some extra equipment in for me. But then, someone saw it in the background of a photo I posted and started asking questions. You are very right, however, it would never hold up to storing full supers of honey. I think the person was interested in winter protection, so I did suggest that the larger version of this “greenhouse” could be used exactly as you suggest. I used to use mine to protect a citrus tree I had…Just put the “greenhouse” up around it for the winter, LOL!
