The hive used for pulling the 9/10 , the old yellow Q, had lost their virgin, so the green - poorly marked - Q from the green folding hive was put in with bees on the folding frame, after spraying with water.
The red queen next door is weakening, only sporadic brood not many bees needs to be replaced , but QNS!.
Left side of the folding hive has a bunch of bees in the food side, maybe they have a Q in there, but no bees on the frame, so took it for wax melting.
Right side took the red QV from the empty kieler with the folding fame from the corner hive with bees, but maybe left the door open?
Green Q from the folding frame, put into the old brussels swarm, is the star of the show, full of bees, full of brood, five frames solid, perfect pattern.
Red swarm Q also going strong, half finished Q cells two frames taken out and swapped for the drone laid frames from the single one time aflegger. closed for 24 hrs. need to check next we they are still quite swarmy.
The yellow queen in a super is laying well, all other supers have bunches of bees, no sign of laying.
Kielers have the same problem, where are the bees? hopefully out foraging but no sign of laying.
Corner hive with new Q is laying well, first four frames are full of brood nice pattern.
Q marked light green.
In the little hives J,G,A,K and B Q's marked with light green, means that four out of five queens from Ghislain are laying!
Drone frames removed from the three hives and put into wax melter.
Sunday; cleaned and waxed three lifts ready for splits for the new queens. Three hives are possible two brown bases and tops in the garage, one yellow base and lift with a brown top in the bee house.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Sat 21st Longest day, Midsummer night run in Gent
This is the list of the virgin queens as of this morning:
J,G,A,D,K are the five light coloured buckfast virgins from Ghislain.
I,C,E and one mini plus right are the dark carnica virgins from Guido
H,F and two mini plusses are beige carnicas
Dirty kieler and 4 frame wooden super are yellow Q virgins that hatched as the carnica QC were starting.
In the following week the last two red Qcells came out, and went into D which was empty, and the top kieler, but with too few bees.
In B and the other kielers are two yellow Q virgins.
J,G,A,D,K are the five light coloured buckfast virgins from Ghislain.
I,C,E and one mini plus right are the dark carnica virgins from Guido
H,F and two mini plusses are beige carnicas
Dirty kieler and 4 frame wooden super are yellow Q virgins that hatched as the carnica QC were starting.
In the following week the last two red Qcells came out, and went into D which was empty, and the top kieler, but with too few bees.
In B and the other kielers are two yellow Q virgins.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tuesday 17th June (Belgium vs Algeria, in Brasil.) to weds 18th
Christina joined the fun, the 9 Carnica cells not hatched ,but the yellow Q bees had pulled queen cells - so much for isolation for 5 days - which were hatching as we stood there. So one went into small wooden super 4 frames, together with unopened Qcells, with two frames bees and honey & pollen stores. Closed for 24 hours.
Second into a dirty Kieler, with some shaken bees made wet with new spray - 14.95€ from Aveve - closed and left on bar under ash trees. Closed for 24h.
Final Q , we were pretty sure that a third queen had hatched, we left her in the hive, hopefully she will survive, get fertilised and start laying.
Inspected the Qcells in the top of the red swarm hive, only two capped, one in the cage, and one clean one. Both cages closed.
Did i say i found the green queen, poorly marked twice cos i didn't shake the pen, she is laying in the right hand of the two folding frame chambers. I thought i had killed her with double marking etc, but she'd been in the folding frame!
sat evening i had opened the two virgins from the previous batch, they came out and circled in number.
As i collected the empty Qcell from the 7 frame wooden super, Hilde was stung by a bee. Apis granules seemed to work that evening, but the following morning very swollen and even swollen tongue on monday. Dr says extreme allergic reaction that needs Adrelin shot quickly if stung again!!
Wedsnesday morning; three virgins emerged first thing, put them into three yellow mini, minis with bees in a bucket from yellow's old hive and red daughter of Yellow. Saw red Q, she's laying ok quite a bit of young brood, but only on 4 frames, so not that many bees, perhaps stopped in the May/june gap?
Looked into the old brussels swarm hive with new green Q, QNS, brood on 5 frames, not that many bees, 7/10 expected.
Second into a dirty Kieler, with some shaken bees made wet with new spray - 14.95€ from Aveve - closed and left on bar under ash trees. Closed for 24h.
Final Q , we were pretty sure that a third queen had hatched, we left her in the hive, hopefully she will survive, get fertilised and start laying.
Inspected the Qcells in the top of the red swarm hive, only two capped, one in the cage, and one clean one. Both cages closed.
Did i say i found the green queen, poorly marked twice cos i didn't shake the pen, she is laying in the right hand of the two folding frame chambers. I thought i had killed her with double marking etc, but she'd been in the folding frame!
sat evening i had opened the two virgins from the previous batch, they came out and circled in number.
As i collected the empty Qcell from the 7 frame wooden super, Hilde was stung by a bee. Apis granules seemed to work that evening, but the following morning very swollen and even swollen tongue on monday. Dr says extreme allergic reaction that needs Adrelin shot quickly if stung again!!
Wedsnesday morning; three virgins emerged first thing, put them into three yellow mini, minis with bees in a bucket from yellow's old hive and red daughter of Yellow. Saw red Q, she's laying ok quite a bit of young brood, but only on 4 frames, so not that many bees, perhaps stopped in the May/june gap?
Looked into the old brussels swarm hive with new green Q, QNS, brood on 5 frames, not that many bees, 7/10 expected.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Friday 13th, a busy morning.
First up two yellow daughters who had hatched in the red swarm hive using the two open brood above the Q excluder method.
One into a small yellow box with q excl plus bees from red swarm.
One into 6 frame wooden hive with bees from old aflegger and two from red swarm, went back into cell (to eat?) left her inside cell on top of frames; 2 frames honey and block of nectapol.
Grafted from yellow Q, her first laying since moving to 1st Mini plus; half with water royal jelly unfrozen mix and half dry. These on top rail.
Second rail from red swarm Q (Seen) including half with RJ mix H2O and half dry plus some RJ from QCells in top of Redswarm and the rest of the hive where there are lots of bees and lots of capped brood.
Placed grafts between two frames of open brood in second lift above Q excluder.
Three and two capped Qcells (plus bees) from the red queen placed in two sides of green folding hive.
Etienne's swarm in far corner; thorough inspection, all ok, 4kg uncapped honey, brood all stages on 9 frames. Found Q marked green, although she's probably not (red?). Good build up not bursting and pretty well behaved.
One into a small yellow box with q excl plus bees from red swarm.
One into 6 frame wooden hive with bees from old aflegger and two from red swarm, went back into cell (to eat?) left her inside cell on top of frames; 2 frames honey and block of nectapol.
Grafted from yellow Q, her first laying since moving to 1st Mini plus; half with water royal jelly unfrozen mix and half dry. These on top rail.
Second rail from red swarm Q (Seen) including half with RJ mix H2O and half dry plus some RJ from QCells in top of Redswarm and the rest of the hive where there are lots of bees and lots of capped brood.
Placed grafts between two frames of open brood in second lift above Q excluder.
Three and two capped Qcells (plus bees) from the red queen placed in two sides of green folding hive.
Etienne's swarm in far corner; thorough inspection, all ok, 4kg uncapped honey, brood all stages on 9 frames. Found Q marked green, although she's probably not (red?). Good build up not bursting and pretty well behaved.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Wednesday 11th June Carnica Q's caged.
About 1400 on weds i have a first look at the should be closed carnica Q cells.
Hoping for 7, 9 is a really good result!
Hoping for 7, 9 is a really good result!
The only issue is that the bees have already started to build the cells out and it takes a good 20 minutes to get the cages on because i have to slice away wax to get the cage over the cell. I only hope i haven't damaged them?
Next stop the two cells that had been pulled from my batch of yellow queen larvae which i mistakenly think should be hatched. Wrong! - Friday.
This leads to much research on Q scheduling and a neat Q calendar online, which tells me not to touch the cells for the three days following capping, as they are very sensitive. Oops.
Back to the instructions for the overlarfproject, where it says to cage them as soon as they are capped, because they are less sensitive immediately after capping than the following three days.
This is where i screwed up last year, by moving them too early.
5 Virgin buckfast Q's
Sunday 8th june.
Timo and i go to Ghislain's stand at Viane, to find no one there. I don't have his tel of adress, but Guido does. (Timo gets a bee sting in his arm but it doesn't bother him, i only see the sting and sac as i strap him in to leave? i give him two homeopathic apis sugar balls and he seems fine)
At 1400 Ilya and I start making up fertilisation hives, the mini minis with just two small frames. We put a good dolop of sugar paste in each, and go in search of baby bees for our new queens.
We shake bee off into our bucket from the Red Q daughter of yellow QNS, the old Brussels swarm now GreenQ, seen, and from the original Red hive on the end, which doesn't seem to have a Q, no eggs or larvae, but 6 or 7 Q cells.
With a spray of water to get them mixed up (the water spray breaks get a wet leg) i fill 6 small fertilisation boxes ready for later that day. Ilya had enough bees after two open hives and went indoors.
Finally make it to Ghislain's house for 1530, through crowds of bikes between t' Aloam and the street where Ghislain lives, which is closed to traffic just for good measure. He's not there - he's on his stand in Viane! - but his wife is and shes gives us the 2 free virgins and three at 7 euros - i must pay for them.
Back home i introduce the queens together with the three bees that are with them by inverting the box, open the slide a crack, wedging the Q cage in the slot and pulling back the slide cover to allow the Q to just run into the waiting crowd of bees.
I keep them closed for a full 24 hours to get them to re-set their home navigation, and open them monday, which goes without a hitch.
A quick look on weds sees all boxes with bees still in them, and one Virgin seen, although several boxes don't have the little Q excluder stopping the Q getting into the food part, and most are putting new wax on the roof or in the space to the food, not on the plastic frames, where i had attached new foundation, at all.
At 1400 Ilya and I start making up fertilisation hives, the mini minis with just two small frames. We put a good dolop of sugar paste in each, and go in search of baby bees for our new queens.
We shake bee off into our bucket from the Red Q daughter of yellow QNS, the old Brussels swarm now GreenQ, seen, and from the original Red hive on the end, which doesn't seem to have a Q, no eggs or larvae, but 6 or 7 Q cells.
With a spray of water to get them mixed up (the water spray breaks get a wet leg) i fill 6 small fertilisation boxes ready for later that day. Ilya had enough bees after two open hives and went indoors.
Finally make it to Ghislain's house for 1530, through crowds of bikes between t' Aloam and the street where Ghislain lives, which is closed to traffic just for good measure. He's not there - he's on his stand in Viane! - but his wife is and shes gives us the 2 free virgins and three at 7 euros - i must pay for them.
Back home i introduce the queens together with the three bees that are with them by inverting the box, open the slide a crack, wedging the Q cage in the slot and pulling back the slide cover to allow the Q to just run into the waiting crowd of bees.
I keep them closed for a full 24 hours to get them to re-set their home navigation, and open them monday, which goes without a hitch.
A quick look on weds sees all boxes with bees still in them, and one Virgin seen, although several boxes don't have the little Q excluder stopping the Q getting into the food part, and most are putting new wax on the roof or in the space to the food, not on the plastic frames, where i had attached new foundation, at all.
Saturday 7th June Carnica Q larvae x10
Guido Noerens had arranged our order for carnica queens from Roger de Crook in dendermonde. 1730 Ilya and i go to his house in Apelterre, behind congoberg over the Dender. Part of the overlarf project from the Flemish beekeepers. The American foulbrood outbreak in Geraardsbergen has meant that we have to go further away.
We come away with 10 larvae draped in a wet towel, despite a street party closing the road and Ilya wanting to see Guido's bee suit. It's a hot day 25°+ & sunny and the car soon warms up even for the few minutes we were inside.
Back home i remove the yellow queen to a mini plus, along with some of her bees, unfortunately i've only got foundation, but a feeder full of syrup should help them on their way.
I put 7 on the top bar and 3 on the next bar and also put the feeder on them too.
We come away with 10 larvae draped in a wet towel, despite a street party closing the road and Ilya wanting to see Guido's bee suit. It's a hot day 25°+ & sunny and the car soon warms up even for the few minutes we were inside.
Back home i remove the yellow queen to a mini plus, along with some of her bees, unfortunately i've only got foundation, but a feeder full of syrup should help them on their way.
I put 7 on the top bar and 3 on the next bar and also put the feeder on them too.
Queen times are coming
Sunday 1st June 2014
Found and isolated yellow queen in end hive. I used the circles with spikes from both sides, last year the bees eat the queen out from one side withe just one set of spikes. But i think i'll make a proper quennisolation frame for next year, it'll be a lot easier.
Using unfrozen royal jelly and water, put a drop in each cup and loaded 20 tiny larvae from the yellow Q.
Somewhere i read that if you lick the chinese grafting tool between grafts they come out easier. Its true.
Then i put the frame into the second lift of the old red swarm Q, together with one frame of open and one frame of closed (couldn't remember which - its open of course!) I should have put the frame in before hand for it to be accepted, but wasn't organised enough.
We'll see what they make of it.
Found and isolated yellow queen in end hive. I used the circles with spikes from both sides, last year the bees eat the queen out from one side withe just one set of spikes. But i think i'll make a proper quennisolation frame for next year, it'll be a lot easier.
Using unfrozen royal jelly and water, put a drop in each cup and loaded 20 tiny larvae from the yellow Q.
Somewhere i read that if you lick the chinese grafting tool between grafts they come out easier. Its true.
Then i put the frame into the second lift of the old red swarm Q, together with one frame of open and one frame of closed (couldn't remember which - its open of course!) I should have put the frame in before hand for it to be accepted, but wasn't organised enough.
We'll see what they make of it.
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