My most recent hive inspection found my 2nd brood box full of honey frames and my queen gone. I am removing the 2nd box while the hive figures out their queen (there was lots of queen comb), but what do people do with the frames and box?
I don’t have traditional honey extractor equipment. Do beeks find other geeks will lend theirs?
The local club usually has club gear to loan to members. Another good reason to join. After some of my gear was returned in less than clean condition and late, I no longer share my gear. There are also cheap two frame extractors on eBay that are ok for low volume usage.
Mike
Hello
Taking honey is great but not sure that I would. If this is your only hive and you have 2 brood boxes and a number of queen cells capped. I would split the hive. One queen cell in each brood box. Kill or destroy all other queen cells. Needs doing very slowly and methodically. Divide the frames of each equally so that both have stores of honey and pollen, and brood. If they have no pollen then get some pollen substitute.
I have just checked and flow have a video of a simple split keeping the hives side by side.
Maybe fill in your profile so that members of the forum know where you are so that they might be able to help, I loan out my extractor and other gear on the condition it comes back clean to local bee keepers. Often local bee groups have loan gear also. But this forum is world wide so I would edit my profile if I were you.
If the frames still have eggs and young brood the colony will make a new queen themselves but if there is no young brood you might need to buy a queen. You could also make a split if that is the way you want to go.
Cheers