# Warre Nuc from a little hive? Help!



## Rookhawk (May 20, 2013)

Posted in general area but it is warre so i thought i'd share here too. Maybe you can assess this situation.

On May 1 a package was installed in a traditional Warre hive. They drew out 3-4 frames and then no queen could be found by an amateur beek relative of mine.

There then was drone brood everywhere and all cells were laid in, indicative of laying workers.

He added one frame of brood but he didn't follow protocol and add one a week for three weeks. No supercedure cells were made.

Then on June 1, I got a queen and have it to this gentleman and he installed her. At this point, the hive had maybe 300 bees during inspection according to him.

Today, I said I could have the hive and the 50 bees plus the queen that are still in this pathetic hive. There was no viable brood in the hive and a many dead capped cells. I guess they had so few bees they died of exposure with no nurses? No brood left alive, no eggs, no food except a paltry amount of uncapped nectar and some pollen.

He had another disaster with a 10 frame Lang and we did lots of cutting to fix that hive. I was able to cut out some brood. 

I did the following:

1.) cut his top bars out 3-4 and nailed them into half Frames I had for a new modified warre. This was just for some comb.

2.) I took some capped brood and a few eggs from a Lang he had and rubber banded them into the modified frames. 

3.) I moved all the bees and frames into modified warre a the same location hoping to gather up as many foragers as possible.

Next step intentions for a one hive body "warre 8 frame Nuc"

1.) I take this hive at night to my home.

2.) I shake some nurse bees into a hive body and do a newspaper combine to give them some paltry some of additional bees.

3.) I repeat the includes with more newspaper brush ins for a few weeks.

4.) I feed these bees with a top feeder non-stop through fall, then sugar or fondant through winter.

What do you think of my plan? Any recommendations?

Do you think the queen is good, she stopped laying due to low numbers and no food?

Is my approach likely to save/make a viable colony?


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

You need a laying queen. A strong one. Get one first! Get rid of the failing queen. 

All else is too much work for a colony, that collapses later most probably. A waste of time and ressources. Sure it is no fun for the bees either. 

Make an artificial swarm with a young queen that already is laying; install that swarm and proceed as you planned. 

Bernhard


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Bottom line: you need a new colony.


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## Rookhawk (May 20, 2013)

I don't know if I have a failing queen so I find it interesting you diagnose her as such. 

I thought I had a failing colony with insufficient heat and brood coverage due to low numbers?


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Could be both. But 50 bees plus the queen is less than what you find in a very small mating nuc. So this colony already is dead. Failing queens often lead to dwindling and failing hives. Usually you find a lot of queen cups and cells in those hives. Do you have any pictures?


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

Just addingbrood wont requeen. It must be an egg or 1 day or less larvae.


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