Hive Inspection 5/29/11

Nuc #4
Partly Sunny
85°F

This is really a Queen check but with only 5 frames it becomes an inspection.  The big news is that the Virgin Queen is now laying.  WooHoo!  I didn't expect it but there were eggs in all the usable cells; which weren't many. 

Queen and Eggs

Compare this image of the queen to the one I took of her on the 25th, four days ago.  Big difference.  Although it looks like her wings may be damaged if you zoom in on the above image.  The bees in the nuc were acting a little better too.  They have drawn out more comb and are leaving & returning from the field.  This Nuc is from Myrina (we think) whose production is usually good.  These bees may now make it.

Whether the plastic nuc helped or not I don't know.   There are a few other unknowns to this colony:  How does a swarm end up with a Virgin Queen?  How come the bees are so listless?  Why won't they take syrup?  Much doesn't make sense.  Maybe I'll figure it out someday.  Untill then this is the bees home untill the woodenware is finished.

Corrugated Plastic Nuc

They drew out a bunch of weird comb on the Plasticell frame again.  I turned the frame around instead of removing the odd comb.  They can try to get it right on the undrawn side.  The 4th frame from the left is the Medium brood frame from what was Nuc #3 but is now Melissa.

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Also,
I checked the honey super on Myrina.  Surprisingly the bees had finally drawn out the majority of frames.  About Time!  So the super came out from between the 2 brood boxes and onto the top of the hive.  I added the Modified Queen Excluder as well.  I didn't see any eggs in the honey frames but I'll check again in a few days to be sure.

Honey At Last! 

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Hive Inspection 5/25/11

Nuc #4
85°F
Partly Sunny

The poor & lowly Nuc #4

This Nuc makes me feel like a slum lord.  I was out of equipment when i caught the swarm.  I had to use whatever scraps could be found.  The cover is Mary's original cover from 2008 when i purchased her.  It has spent the last two years as a tomato starter, essentially a flower pot!  The Deep box was Myrina's.  The one that had so much mold last Winter the knots started to weep.  The bottom board was also Myrina's and was in storage yet covered in dead bugs and spiders.  To make thing worse it's a 10 frame set up when all the small swarm needed was at most a 5 frame box.  I didn't even have 5 frames so they got 4: 1 plasticell & 2 foundationless all undrawn.  I did add that brood frame from Nuc #3 but it is a Medium.

I put a entrance feeder IN the hive to keep the robing down.  I know the flow is on but these bees couldn't defend a drop.  The bees haven't touched the syrup.  They continue to act strangely all huddled together and barely flying.

They haven't started on the fourth frame yet.  I don't know what they're doing on the plasticell frame.  Making a mess i guess.  Just a weak performance all the way around.  And still NO eggs!

Today they got a little break.  I purchased one of those plastic nucs.   They get a newer, cleaner home and a fifth frame too.  Almost like real bees.  The plastic nuc isn't great but its a mighty step up from what they have now.  They can defend it & control the climate whereas the 10 frame was too big for them.  These plastic jobs are stamped out of one piece corrugated plastic.  It takes a little to fold it together, the directions are Useless.  These are a one shot deals.  No adding on or feeders.  I think they're more for selling nucs than Making nucs.

Movin' on up!

The good news is i might get some time this weekend to start making the real nuc equipment.  Hopefully that can be completed before these bees drop dead.

The queen still looks unmated.  Her abdomen is not growing any bigger.  If there is no change she will be replaced, soon!

That's the Queen!

To add to this menagerie of gloom look who popped out for a walk during the inspection.  Is this really necessary?

SHB

If this nuc lives it will be by luck and a miracle.  I will do what i can but if they don't start behaving like bees and working they're done for.

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