Unsecure chicken perches

[BeesandWine]

Hi ,

I received my nuc to put in my shiny new Beehaus 2 1/2 weeks ago. The bees were placed in 1 half of the Beehaus up against the divider board, with 2 empty frames at the opposite end. As advised I have been feeding with a contact feeder. The bees have drawn out half an empty frame, supplied with the nuc, and filled it with nothing but nectar, some of which is now capped.

 

Is this from the sugar syrup? Is this ok or should I be trying to get this up into supers?

 

They have not drawn out any of the new frames that were added and now there is the frame with one side full of nectar between the brood and the empty frames. What should i be doing?

 

I have seen the queen, larvae, nectar, honey, capped brood, and a bee chewing it's way out. Lots of bees flying in and out. So the colony seems healthy.

 

I was expecting the colony to be growing onto new frames by now, but it doesn't seem so.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

Bees&Wine

[Guest]

How big was/is this nuc? Five frames? Was the empty frame an extra to the nucleus? What was the frame make-up of the nuc?

 

Who advised to feed?

 

Rather depends on the nuc and the supplier as to what you have there. I have no idea of the make-up, or origin, of the nuc so could not possibly know whether it was a 'thrown together nuc with unbalanced make-up, or a good well-established nuc where the queen is the mother of all the brood and most of the bees in the nuc.

 

It may depend on the queen as well . Whether she is a prolific layer or less so. So lots of variables.

 

Feeding when not required is counterproductive, as you are finding out. Filling the newly drawn comb with sugar honey has cost brood space, and house bee time (moving, concentrating, capping and drawing that comb took time).

 

The queen will only lay at a rate determined by several factors; temperature, number of house bees, availability of stores (both pollen and honey), availability of forage (larvae are fed on nectar usually), space and perhaps others. Any imbalance or shortage of 'components' will delay expansion.

 

You should not have any supers on at this time, so your suggestion of getting them to move these stores into supers is irrelevant. In fact, I would be thinking that they may not even be needed this season, if you are following the 'Dartington' plan for colony management.

 

I did not receive a manual with my beehaus, so I cannot comment on their colony instructions...

 

Regards, RAB

[Kermit]

I agree with RAB on many of his comments and just have to add a few bits. We were in a similar situation last year and started with a nuc which we put into a National.

1. Don't expect any honey this year.

2. Don't even think of supers yet if you haven't got a set of fully drawn brood combs - what point is there of having shallow frames drawn when there aren't enough bees to fill them.

3. Some colonies grow much slower than others. By the end of last season ours had slowly grown to an acceptable size, but now they are going a storm and have 2 supers on already - this is N Yorks remember, not the sunny, warm south.

4. We were advised to feed using a contact feeder and it didn't do us any harm. It will allow the bees to have a constant flow and hopefully they will draw the frames quicker.

 

In your first year of beekeeping I would say that your main aim is to give them sufficient of what they need to overwinter. No matter what you get from them this year, it will be a failure if they don't overwinter because you pushed them too hard and took off too much (any) honey.

[thedruggist]

Hi Beesandwine

 

Got my nuc just before you and had similar experience. I fed them for two weeks then took the feed away to encourage foraging. They made a start on drawing out but quite a lazy attempt I thought so I introduced more frames with foundation and inserted the frame they had started on inside the frames given with the nuc. This encouraged them to draw it out.

 

Have a look at the short frames you have been supplied with. Your bees will have been busy making comb underneath to fill the space. When they have done this they'll start drawing out your foundation. Your Queen will be laying in this new under-frame comb (mine is anyway).

 

I intend to eventually substitute all but one or two of the short frames for the larger 14 X 12s and use the shorter ones for culling drone brood to keep on top of Varoa mite.

 

Our bees may also be imported bees and not British (not sure so stand to be corrected) so may not particularly like our cooler summer (if that's what you call it!).

 

As others have said forget supers and any honey this year, just enjoy the learning process and watching these fascinating creatures. Follow your instinct and take as much advice as your brain can absorb. Have you joined your local beekeeping association?

 

Hope this helps - I'm a newbee too

 

Tony

[Guest]

Tony raised a point I did not. Is this a standard nuc or a 14 x 12 ? Presumably on standard frames as these are still the norm (mine are all 14 x 12). One should certainly have parked these at the rear and filled in the space under, to get them moved onto the lager format frames unless you have frame extenders. If drawing wild comb, that is a waste of effort for the bees.

 

Regards, RAB

[thedruggist]

Hi RAB

 

I thought about a false floor but couldn't find an effective solution. If anyone knows how to create this false mesh floor in a beehaus I'm all ears but now I'm on the path of substituting the short frames for the 14X12s and I didn't know you could get frame extensions! As RAB says it's wasted wild comb except my Queen now has somewhere to lay fresh eggs to increase the colony size. My next inspection is on Sunday so I'll let you know if my strategy has been successful.

 

You live and learn every day!

 

Tony

[Guest]

You dont need a false mesh floor - just cover it up! Pieces of wood, old cut-down shoe box or similar, expanded polystyrene strips covered in plastic (to stop the bees chewing it), or anything really - the s"Ooops, word censored!" bin might contain something suitable. Imagination is all that is needed. No rocket science involved. Removed in a few weeks time and returned to the skip.

 

Regards, RAB

[v8landy]

 

I thought about a false floor but couldn't find an effective solution.

 

I have installed a false mesh floor in my beehaus. Simple wooden frame and then covered in mesh. Set back from the entrance recess, and of the correct height to give the space below.

 

Simple build really.

 

I will get a picture of it next time I open the hive up.