# I'm pretty sure I killed my hive today :-(



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

I'm wracked with guilt right now :-(

Despite my August party went off without incident, my hive's been quite a bit "hotter" since the supersedure, and I was worried about today's Halloween Pumpkin Party with 80 guests and 40+ kids running around. The forecast for today was mid-70s, so last night I put a screen across the entrance, thinking that the screened hole at the top of the hive would provide enough ventilation/convection to keep the hive cool.

I was horribly wrong.

Everything looked OK when I checked the hive their morning, but when I went release the bees this evening, there was honey oozing out the front, along with a mass of dead bees. They'd clogged the entrance, which melted some comb, which made it even worse. I tried to sweep out the bottom of the hive with a stick, and I just kept sweeping out masses of honey-soaked, dead bees. I kept sweeping until I didn't sweep out any more bees, but when I went back 90 minutes later, I swept out another large mass of bees and honey. 

There's not much more I can do tonight, in the dark, but I will open things up tomorrow morning and see how bad things are. Unless the queen has survived by some miracle, and the remaining workers can clean things up, I'm afraid my hive is doomed.

I should have re-read that previous thread on Saturday. If I had I would have just put some rain on the hive during party, or put a screened bottom board or something.

I feel terrible right now, and I will probably have nightmares tonight.

I just hope that someone else can learn from my experience and _not_ close up their hive the wrong way.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Oh Wow, what a sad story, I'm so sorry that happened for you. Just chalk it up to learning the hard way, learning that way is always best 'cause it sticks with us. If nothing is salvageable, you'll just have to get more going in the spring, but hopefully something is still left there for you.


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Don't worry! 
Look on the brighter side.
Tomorrow go in to clean up the honey before the bees wake up.
If not they will stick to the honey again because the field bees are always in a 
hurry to prep up for the winter. They are not aware of the spilled honey 
under their feet. Besides, the melted honey might be every where on the bottom
of the hive inside too. If you have another spare hive then swap the hive out with this one.
There should be enough bees to regulate the hive too otherwise the honey will melt again
on the heat. What I did was to cover the hives with a foam board against the hot sun while
they're out foraging. Hopefully there will be enough bees to rebuild this hive. I learned this one
on my first hive pick up.


----------



## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Not to be smart but what have you learned from this? Seeing you love to have party's at your home. What I would suggest next time if it is going to be warm to make up a screen with 1/8 mess. That would fit over the the top of the hive and put it on it. An make sure they stay in the shade during the heat of the day. If you are using solid bottom boards I would put a screen there to. I have been moving away from sbb but in your case I would use them for the ventilation. 
David


----------



## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Or maybe the lesson learned is that you shouldn't keep bees in a yard where you plan to have parties. Find another place for your bees.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

ditto.

I don't have parties here, but I have people who walk up and down the road for exercise w/ 500 hives w/in 100 feet of the road. If you are going to keep bees at home figure out where you can put them where bee and human interaction is low. And don't close your hive.

Education is expensive. Unfortunately a colony had to die to provide the lesson.


----------



## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

beemandan said:


> Or maybe the lesson learned is that you shouldn't keep bees in a yard where you plan to have parties. Find another place for your bees.


+1. sorry to hear about your hive but....


----------



## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

Another option that mioght work, if you only have one or two hives, would be to move it to someone elses yard if parties like this are a rare occasion. I am alway able to babysit another hive, or two.


----------



## crofter (May 5, 2011)

I am afraid if you move the hive away you will have a bunch of disoriented bees wandering around looking for their hive (unless you lock them in wherever you move them to) If you screen in a hive you have to use large areas of screen as the bees will cover the screen in panic to get out. One layer of bees effectively blocks air circulation. Temperatures spiral out of control and the bees throw up and game over.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If you keep bees sooner or later you will make a bad decision that results in some bees dying. It is heartbreaking, but all you can do is learn from it.


----------



## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

RayMarler said:


> Oh Wow, what a sad story, I'm so sorry that happened for you. Just chalk it up to learning the hard way, learning that way is always best 'cause it sticks with us. If nothing is salvageable, you'll just have to get more going in the spring, but hopefully something is still left there for you.


Experience is a mean teacher. I would rather learn from BeeSource.


----------



## e-spice (Sep 21, 2013)

dsegrest said:


> Experience is a mean teacher. I would rather learn from BeeSource.


Ditto!


----------



## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

How did the temperature in the hive get to 140+ degrees (enough to melt the wax)? If radiant energy from direct sun is the problem, couldn't you just put a pop-up canopy over it?

When I have parties at my place I put warning tape around my hives, just enough to keep people from being able to reach them. But then mine aren't in any way "hot".


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

r, the bees were trapped inside the hive. That's how the heat got high enough to make a mess, whether it actually melted comb or not. Which I doubt.


----------



## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

If you were to put up a 6 foot solid wood type fence around the hives would that change the flight path enough so you don't have to close them up?


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

beepro said:


> Don't worry!
> Look on the brighter side.
> Tomorrow go in to clean up the honey before the bees wake up.
> If not they will stick to the honey again because the field bees are always in a
> ...


Thanks, to everyone, for the kind words and encouragement. And also for the less-kind words, as they will help me remember.

My property isn't large enough to put the bees anywhere else, so my options are either 1) get out of beekeeping, 2) stop entertaining, or 3) figure out how to get them to co-exist. More on option 3, later.

So I went in this morning, and things were bad, but not as bad as I'd feared. I had a completely full bottom deep with a medium on top that was about 1/2 full. 

In the medium, three of the full frames had fallen apart, with the lower half of the comb slumping and spilling honey everywhere. I cut off the slumped comb and put the frames back in the box. There were plenty of bees in the medium, and a bunch of them looked like they were frantically building comb on some of the empty foundation.

In the bottom frame about half the frames had wax damage and half had no apparent wax damage. I transferred the undamaged frames into a clean deep. On two of the damaged frames, where the comb had just fallen completely out of the frame, I was able to tie them back in with some string. I wished I'd had rubber bands with me, but I hadn't thought things through, and I had no idea what to expect.

The remaining three frames were a total loss, as the comb had fallen out and broken apart into smaller pieces. Even if I'd had rubber bands I'm not sure that I could have reassembled them in any meaningful way.

So what remained in the "old" deep was the crumbling remains of 3 frames of brood and honey, and about an inch-deep layer of dead, honey-soaked bees. There were lots of live bees running around on top, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, so I scooped as many as I could into the "new" box, then scraped the entrance clean and turned the box on its side and put it next to the hive.

If I were to guess, I probably lost about half my bees. And of course I have no idea what happened to the queen.

Will the brood suffocate if honey dripped over their caps? 

I'll probably just leave the hive alone for the next week and then go in and see if they've been able to clean up and rebuild at all. My fingers are crossed, but I won't let myself get too hopeful, because I know the situation is dire.


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Still looking from the brighter side. How a beekeeper's attitude, as in anything in life, after
a disaster is to first be calm. And then reassess the situation to find the best solution to the issue at hand. I
think you did good to handle this situation. Half of the bees that survived will be able to rebuild this hive in 
no time. After everything settled down make sure you either find the queen or new eggs inside. Feed them some patty to
help them rebuild their population along too. Within the next few days be sure to check for the hive activity and no more
fallen combs. This hive will pull thru alright.
You can still party but make sure the next time to screen this hive off a few days before the party start. By screening I mean to put
a partition to divert the bee's flight path. Hopefully the drunken folks will not find their way into this hive to make a mess of it.
The capped broods should be alright after they have clean up the honey. Put another drawn comb inside if you have one for them to
put the excess honey. If they have enough store then don't feed the honey back to them otherwise there isn't enough space for the
queen to lay when they start back filling the nest.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Waterbug, don't wait. Get out there and tilt the boxes back and scrape the dead bees off of the bottom board. You probably are not going to find very many bees alive, if any. The longer the dead bees remain where they are the more moldy and the stinkier they get. That's my advice.


----------



## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

MTN-Bees said:


> If you were to put up a 6 foot solid wood type fence around the hives would that change the flight path enough so you don't have to close them up?


I don't know about the parties in question, but most of the time people have drinks, some of which are sweet. The bees might want to join the party. What if the whole crowd comes?


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Will the brood suffocate if honey dripped over their caps?


They might be cooked from the over temps but the only chance the hive has to recover is if the queen survived and is in good health. I am wishing you luck.


----------



## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

With the honey mess you probably have on, in and around the hive, I would be doing something to prevent robbing or at least be on guard for it.


----------



## Mommyofthree (Aug 23, 2014)

Sorry for your loss but it sounds like you cleaned up as best you could.


----------



## mdax (Apr 29, 2013)

no reason to stop having parties, just change your friends!
Cruise the bee keeping and apitherapy sites and replace your family/friends with folks who'd love to be surrounded by bees!


----------



## CessnaGirl (Jan 7, 2014)

mdax, I like the way you think.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

beepro said:


> Half of the bees that survived will be able to rebuild this hive in
> no time. After everything settled down make sure you either find the queen or new eggs inside. Feed them some patty to
> help them rebuild their population along too. Within the next few days be sure to check for the hive activity and no more
> fallen combs. This hive will pull thru alright. . . .The capped broods should be alright after they have clean up the honey. Put another drawn comb inside if you have one for them to put the excess honey. If they have enough store then don't feed the honey back to them otherwise there isn't enough space for the
> queen to lay when they start back filling the nest.


Thanks for your optimism , and good point about keeping open space for new brood.

I don't have any drawn comb at the ready, but I do have the broken comb that's been laying out, semi-exposed, for 2 days now. If the bees have cleaned it up, would it help to strap it back into the frames with rubber bands and put it back in the hive? Or should I let them draw new comb?

If I'm queenless I may be able to buy a new queen from Kona Queens. Are there any best practices for requeening this late in the season, in a mild climate (Los Angeles)?

Speaking of requeening, this may also solve my "party" problem. My colony was cut out in May from a feral hive that infested the wall of my shed. It was "lightly Africanized" according to the beek who did the cutout, but they were pretty docile for the first few months (including my first party). Then they did a supersedure about 2 months ago, and the hive got noticeably hotter, which is why I bothered to "protect" my party guests from the hive in the first place. If I had a gentle hive (like I did in August) I wouldn't even have worried about it. So if I get some gentle genetics in here, things should be OK in the future.



> Waterbug, don't wait. Get out there and tilt the boxes back and scrape the dead bees off of the bottom board. You probably are not going to find very many bees alive, if any. The longer the dead bees remain where they are the more moldy and the stinkier they get. That's my advice.


I've already transplanted the deep frames into a clean deep, so that part's pretty clean. I'm sure a small amount of honey dripped down during the last 24 hours, but I checked this morning, and 1) there was no visible honey on the entrance board, and 2) there was a lot of "bee flow" in and out of the hive. So they're busy working, and it doesn't look like anyone's getting stuck.

The "disaster deep" is also getting cleaned up pretty well. I turned it on its side, and all the wood seems to be dry now, and now the bees are cleaning up the wrecked comb (that I'm considering strapping back into the frames, depending on y'all's advice )


----------



## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

If you secure any comb back into frames, be sure to have them with the cells pointing in the upwards direction. Or, the bees won't like you! lol


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Then they did a supersedure about 2 months ago, and the hive got noticeably hotter, which is why I bothered to "protect" my party guests from the hive in the first place. If I had a gentle hive (like I did in August) I wouldn't even have worried about it. So if I get some gentle genetics in here, things should be OK in the future.


And now, as I'm reading a bunch of other threads about getting stung, maybe this has zero to do with genetics and everything to do with the time of year. Opinions?


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Bee Bliss said:


> If you secure any comb back into frames, be sure to have them with the cells pointing in the upwards direction. Or, the bees won't like you! lol


Haha! Yes, if you look at the first cutout from my chicken coop (I was the videographer, not the beek, and I didn't keep the hive), fast-forward to 03:41: 





you can see this other newbee strapping them in sideways.

So what happens if comb is strapped in wrong? Do they just ignore it? Or will they tear it down and rebuild it?


----------



## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> And now, as I'm reading a bunch of other threads about getting stung, maybe this has zero to do with genetics and everything to do with the time of year. Opinions?


Agreed. If you had a dearth going on, then they certainly would be cranky. I have one hive that I could pop the top on and look inside, and NONE of them noticed early in the season. Lately they've been super cranky and one stung me 100 feet from the hive.

I wonder if a better approach would be to start feeding them a day or so before your parties to give them time to settle down. Foragers will still leave to do their thing, but they might just be a bit calmer.

I'd still put some warning tape around the hive so people don't get too close and to discourage curious kids.


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Haha! Yes, if you look at the first cutout from my chicken coop you can see this other newbee strapping them in sideways.
> ?


How did that work out?


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> So what happens if comb is strapped in wrong? Do they just ignore it? Or will they tear it down and rebuild it?


The bees will deal with it. I have seen honey supers somehow put on upside down and yet full of honey. I have been told that if one has deep combs that need rebuilding that one could put that box on upside down and the bees will rebuild it. Haven't tried it myself.

Bees are pretty resilient.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Acebird said:


> How did that work out?


I don't know the details, since he took the bees to Topanga Cyn, but I heard the colony eventually died out :-( and he got out of beekeeping. But I don't know if the sideways comb had anything to do with it.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

sqkcrk said:


> The bees will deal with it. I have seen honey supers somehow put on upside down and yet full of honey. I have been told that if one has deep combs that need rebuilding that one could put that box on upside down and the bees will rebuild it. Haven't tried it myself.
> 
> Bees are pretty resilient.


Interesting. Do you know whether they'll fix "wrong" comb faster than building new comb (since they have raw material) or whether it just slows them down?

BTW, and sorta on-topic, I came across this excellent time-lapse of comb building this morning.


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Very interesting how the moisture would build up on the glass when the comb building got closer. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Interesting. Do you know whether they'll fix "wrong" comb faster than building new comb (since they have raw material) or whether it just slows them down?


It depends on whether there is a nectar flow on and how strong it is. A strong nectar flow is a great cure to many bee related maladies.


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi
Sorry for your problem. I hope your bees will recover. As for parties, I have a few ideas:
- what about to cover beehives with the net used in migratory beekeeping?
- in SoCal it is not bad idea to have screened bottom.
- to minimaze exposure to the bees, we are starting parties after 4-5 p.m. - my bees are mostly at home at this time.

And one comment:
I puzzled by your disaster. When I sell a beehive I usually install solid bottom (cheaper) and insert folded piece of metal mesh in the entrance. Bees are OK for a few hours with such setup. In bee-class, they show us how to prepare beehive for transportation - they just screened the entrance, no screened bottom whatsoever. So, I really can not understand how such sever damage was happened to your bees?


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

cerezha said:


> they just screened the entrance, no screened bottom whatsoever. So, I really can not understand how such sever damage was happened to your bees?


They were blocked in all day and it was a full size hive not a nuc. It got warm enough for the comb to collapse.


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Acebird said:


> They were blocked in all day and it was a full size hive not a nuc. It got warm enough for the comb to collapse.


Actually it got so hot inside the hive that the comb got broken off and lots of honey with the bees got trapped at the blocked entrance.
This further reduced the air flow and the temp. quickly risen inside to cook more bees and honey frames. When the live bees tried to get out
they got mixed in with the honey and the dead bees. Resulted in a massive die off. This is not the same situation compare to when we took the nucs home.
Who knows for how long that the bees got trapped while the party is on, right?


----------



## the kid (Nov 26, 2006)

i have things going on here all the time and never even think about blocking the girls in ,,, but then we all like to play with the girls ,,, the rule is look befor you slap


----------



## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

If you have friends with bees see if someone can bring you over a frame of young brood larvae and eggs and let the remaining bees make a queen or two from that frame. You might be surprised how beekeepers will be willing to help other beekeepers. If there are bee clubs in your area contact them and ask for some help. They might even have a local queen. We have all messed up and had to learn from it. When I make queens I use a box that has a screen at the top so the bees stay cool if I trap them in the cell builder. You add a piece of wet sponge inside and that helps them stay cool also. It won't help for this time but maybe for next time if there needs to be a screen in of the bees. Add a wet sponge in the bottom for the bees to drink and cool with. You'll get through this.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

I opened the hive today, about 1 week after the Apocalypse, and there's good news and bad news.

The good news is I have plenty of surviving bees. If I were to guess, they were covering at least 5 frames, plus the few that were up in medium. And I have plenty of bee flow out of the front of the hive. 

I also saw a few new bees emerging from their capped cells. They were in the act of chewing through their covers, so they were definitely alive and reasonably healthy.

I also had no new comb loss. One of the two sheets of comb that I tied in has been partially reattached, and the second one needed some rubber bands, but everything that survived the initial heat wave is still intact.

The bad news is that I have zero eggs and zero larvae, so the queen is likely dead. I saw lots of dead larvae and uncapped dead pupae, so my guess is that the bees are presently busy cleaning out these cells.



IAmTheWaterbug said:


> I don't have any drawn comb at the ready, but I do have the broken comb that's been laying out, semi-exposed, for 2 days now. If the bees have cleaned it up, would it help to strap it back into the frames with rubber bands and put it back in the hive? Or should I let them draw new comb?


It rained two days for the first time in _months_ her in Los Angeles, and those broken combs I left out in the open were a mess. I couldn't see strapping them in, so I just wrote them off. The bees did seem to have scavenged most of the honey and pollen out of them, though.



> If I'm queenless I may be able to buy a new queen from Kona Queens. Are there any best practices for requeening this late in the season, in a mild climate (Los Angeles)?


I just left a message for Kona Queen to order an Italian, which they say they'll have until the end of November. If they can ship early this week I should be able to install her this week. I'm going read a bunch of articles on installing a queen, but does anyone have any "frequent newbee mistakes" that I should avoid once she arrives?

Many thanks, and I may yet save this hive!


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

beepro said:


> Still looking from the brighter side. How a beekeeper's attitude, as in anything in life, after
> a disaster is to first be calm. And then reassess the situation to find the best solution to the issue at hand. I
> think you did good to handle this situation. Half of the bees that survived will be able to rebuild this hive in
> no time.


On a positive note, does Kona queen sells mite resistant bees too?
I wonder if they get some of those VSH queens.
So late to introduce a new queen. I think it is the normal process of hanging in the cage for them to release the new queen.
But make sure the old queen is not shutting down first. After a disaster like this she maybe in shock and shuts down egg
production for a few weeks. If the queen is still in there then say bye-bye to your new Kona queen. And since this colony is still
small don't even think about splitting it unless you have some more bees for this purpose. It is better if you can go inside to check
things out. I usually can find the queen this way. Better be sure than sorry for the new queen. Do you have other beekeepers around to
help you out?


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> but does anyone have any "frequent newbee mistakes" that I should avoid once she arrives?


Installing a queen in a hive that already has one.


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Smart. Ace, smart!
I did this on my first year.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

beepro said:


> On a positive note, does Kona queen sells mite resistant bees too?
> I wonder if they get some of those VSH queens.


All I know about their queens is what they say on their website:



> These production-proven queens must not only be the top producers, but must pass other stringent tests regarding resistance to diseases, temperament and honey-producing qualities. Our Italians produce large frames of brood, in a tight pattern.
> 
> These queens will expand on their brood patterns when stimulated, and also curtail brood rearing after the honey flow. Kona Queen Italians usually store honey in the brood nest, and rarely need to be fed.
> 
> They are excellent honey producers and not likely to swarm.


They normally also have Carniolan queens, but not at this late date.



> So late to introduce a new queen. I think it is the normal process of hanging in the cage for them to release the new queen.
> But make sure the old queen is not shutting down first. After a disaster like this she maybe in shock and shuts down egg
> production for a few weeks. If the queen is still in there then say bye-bye to your new Kona queen. And since this colony is still
> small don't even think about splitting it unless you have some more bees for this purpose. It is better if you can go inside to check
> ...


I don't have anyone local to help me. I also have been _terrible_ at spotting my own queen(s), as in "never." I've opened the hive ~10 times since we first did the cutout in May, and I have _never_ been able to spot her. I was great at spotting the queen in the observation hive at the LA County Fair in September, even without relying on her dull paint spot, but in my own hive I've had zero luck.

I've just relied on seeing (or not seeing) eggs and young larvae as my indication as to whether I've a queen or not.

Kona Queen just emailed me to confirm my order, and that my Italian queen should arrive on Nov. 6th.

If I install her and my original queen has somehow, miraculously survived, I'll just lose the new queen and $50, right? It won't do anything bad to my old queen or my hive, correct?


----------



## green2btree (Sep 9, 2010)

Waterbug, if you are not good at spotting the queen (and trust me, I am right there with you on that one) you might want to invest in a shaker box for when you absolutely, positively have to find the queen (or not, as the case may be). A deep with a queen excluder attached to the bottom, a couple of rows of duct tape at the top inside all the way around.

JC


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

green2btree said:


> a couple of rows of duct tape at the top inside all the way around.
> 
> JC


Explain the purpose please.


----------



## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Acebird said:


> Explain the purpose please.


According to MP:



Michael Palmer said:


> A 2-4" strip of duct tape along the inside top edge of the shaker box will help. The bees don't like to cross the tape, and will cluster just below it.



From a 2007 thread: Using a shaker box to find elusive queen(s)
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?196757-Using-a-shaker-box-to-find-elusive-queen(s)


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

So it means that you have to treat your bees for
the mite, right. They did not mention 
anything about mite resistant at all. 
Yes, the new queen will die if the
workers decided to balled on her otherwise she will live.
When there is the old queen inside then the new queen will
get killed for sure. She is consider foreign and smells different
from their original queen smell. Yep, your fifty dollars is down the
drain. It is a 50/50% gamble now since they will ship you a new queen.
Good luck on this one!


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

I picked up my Italian Kona Queen from the post office this morning. I wasn't aware until then that USPS makes special boxes just for shipping queen bees!:









Her Majesty and her retinue were very active and buzzy in the cage, which I take to be a good sign. 

So I poked a hole through the candy and pushed the cage into a brood frame in the middle of the hive. I'll check in 48 hours to see if she's out, then leave everyone alone for at least a week to let her get settled.


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Do not block. I guess tape doesn't count.


----------



## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Good luck with the new queen. Sounds like you are on the right track to get your hive back into good condition.

BTW, I am curious, what does your screen name mean?


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> So I poked a hole through the candy and pushed the cage into a brood frame in the middle of the hive. I'll check in 48 hours to see if she's out, then leave everyone alone for at least a week to let her get settled.


48 hours later they'd eaten through only 3/4 of the candy, so I pulled the opposite cork and let her out. She's now in the hive, either getting murdered or getting regal. I'll check back in a week.

On a side note, I didn't use my smoker for fear of masking her scent, and the hive went nuts on me. I got stung 3 times through my suit and gloves, and after I took everything off I counted ~30 stingers embedded elsewhere in my gear. 

They've never behaved this way with me, even though I also used no smoke when I put her cage into the hive on Friday morning. Is that a good or bad sign with respect to queen acceptance? Or it is impossible to tell?

The goods news is that stings through the gear inject almost no venom, but they still . . . sting a little. 2 Benadryl down the hatch. 

In other notes for next time, I had pressed her cage into the wax on a brood frame, but afterward I'd pushed the frames back together, centered in the box, as I normally do. Should I have left the extra space between her frame and the next frame, to ensure that hive had access to her? I'm afraid that, if I hadn't pressed her cage far enough into the wax, the screen might have been too close to the adjacent frame for bees to get in between. Do she spread her pheromone only via mandibular contact? Or does it also just waft away from her through the air?

I suppose I'll know something about this in a week, but all opinions are welcome!


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

shinbone said:


> BTW, I am curious, what does your screen name mean?


I play and coach water polo, so I'm in the pool a lot!


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

As long as they have access to her she will be fine. I had placed queens at different location
inside the hive and she's fine.
Yes, the bees will be more aggressive when they are queen less. Hopefully with a new queen they
will mellow down.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> 48 hours later they'd eaten through only 3/4 of the candy, so I pulled the opposite cork and let her out. She's now in the hive, either getting murdered or getting regal. I'll check back in a week.


Salvation!!!! 

It's been two weeks since I introduced her, and 11 days since I released her. I opened the hive for the first time this morning, and she's been laying!

I have two frames completely filled (both sides) with capped brood, so she must have started laying the instant I let her out. I also have quite a few larvae at different stages. I didn't see any eggs, but I didn't look that hard because I'm so horrible at spotting them anyway.

I didn't see my new queen, either, despite she's marked.

I had no bees at all in my upper medium, but I don't know whether that's important. I do feel like I have fewer bees than I did two weeks ago, but that's to be expected. I do still have enough bees to cover at least 4 frames, and I should have a boatload of new bees emerging in another 8-10 days.

So I'm sure I set the hive back quite a ways with this little adventure, but it looks like they could pull through. Whew!

It could be that my purpose in life is to serve as a counter-example to others!


----------



## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

That sounds great waterbug. There's nothing better than to see the results of a busy queen.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

I'm very curious at to what I should expect for mite counts this Spring. I missed at least one entire brood cycle, and I also roasted the heck out of the hive. 

Does anyone know if mites tolerate higher/lower temps than bees?


----------



## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

no one can predict the mite counts that is why you must monitor the counts. in general the counts in the spring will be 1/2 or less than they will be in august.


----------



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> It's been two weeks since I introduced her, and 11 days since I released her. I opened the hive for the first time this morning, and she's been laying!
> 
> I have two frames completely filled (both sides) with capped brood, so she must have started laying the instant I let her out. I also have quite a few larvae at different stages. I didn't see any eggs, but I didn't look that hard because I'm so horrible at spotting them anyway.
> 
> I had no bees at all in my upper medium, but I don't know whether that's important. I do feel like I have fewer bees than I did two weeks ago, but that's to be expected. I do still have enough bees to cover at least 4 frames, and I should have a boatload of new bees emerging in another 8-10 days.


Another two weeks have passed, and things are looking good. I now have bees in the upper medium (and visibly many more total bees than I had on the 21st), and I continue to see larvae and brood of all ages in my bottom deep. They haven't built or repaired any comb that I can see, but there's plenty of empty comb already, so maybe there's no need yet.

I did see about a half a frame's worth of glistening, clear nectar. It was spread across some frames in the top and some frames in the bottom. Can I assume that this is fresh nectar collected recently? I didn't think to check its viscosity. 

We've gotten a few inches of rain (the first real rain since May!) over the last 2 weeks since Thanksgiving, so maybe we're getting some fall flow.

Based on the new nectar, and the fact that I don't see their stores diminishing, I'm not going to feed now.


----------

