# 3 Week Inspection



## finesherb (Apr 17, 2012)

Here are my hive pics where the package of bees was installed on May 6th. Equipment was given to me from a friend who didn't have time to devote to beekeeping and also saved me some money as well. 

I've fed them approx. 2 gallons of sugar water using a top feeder over a period of 3 weeks. Should I give them more? Do I keep on giving them sugar water until they don't take it anymore? I read that you don't want them to store the sugar water by giving it to them all the time. Correct?

I'm wondering if the brood production is going too slow? I do see some brood cells so it seems that the queen is doing her job. Also I have located her and she looks healthy. I'm concerned because I see that they are building a 2 sepearate queen cells on two of the frames. Also there seems to be some abnormal cells on two of the frames. Is this normal behavior?

https://plus.google.com/photos/117881516241526910211/albums/5748108427218613697?authkey=CJiUz5zcjbCDNQ

Thanks!
Tom


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## finesherb (Apr 17, 2012)

Let me know if the link is not functioning


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## gunter62 (Feb 13, 2011)

The link appears to be fine. 
In looking at the photos, I couldn't see any worker brood. I see capped drone brood and the q-cells you mention. Is there uncapped brood that you saw? If not, they may be trying to replace your queen.
As to your feeding question, feed as long as they take it until all your brood combs are drawn and then add supers if you have a flow. Good luck!


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## Nantom670 (Jul 29, 2011)

Sure you have capped worker brood on those frames. The drone brood is raised out from the frame and the worker brood is flat on the same frames. And the white is capped honey. Don't know how many different frames you are showing but I would not be concerned. If they are bringing in pollen and nectar I don't feed and mine are doing fine. Its a personal decision you have to make. You just want to make sure they don't get crowded and swarm on you. If they want to replace the queen its for a reason and most say that if the queen cell is on the bottom it is a swarm cell. Yours does not appear to be on the bottom best I can tell. Others will share their views.


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## finesherb (Apr 17, 2012)

Thank you for the replies folks. You basically have clarified what I've thought. I see the honey, the worker brood, (although not that much), and drone cells. My first concern was that there didn't seem to be a lot of worker brood. My first time around and wanted to get some feedback from the group


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## Double D (Feb 12, 2009)

Looking at you pictures a few things concern me. How many frames have they drawn out? How many are you showing in your pictures? I see the queen, did you see any eggs or young larva? You don’t seem to have a lot of capped brood. A queen getting going will usually lay in all available spaces even before they are fully drawn out. Picture 2 with the queen cell on it doesn’t appear to have any other brood on it. I would expect most of that frame to be brood not pollen. They are collecting a lot of pollen and storing it in the middle of those frames that should be full of brood. I think your queen is a dud thats why the Q-cells are there. Be concerned.


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## bejay (Jan 14, 2005)

would continue to feed myself looks like there is still alot of foundation that needs to be drawn out, and while you have some brood the capped brood is easily seen in the pictures but if you dont see brood in all stages would probably be concerned also that there may be something wrong with the queen.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

As others have stated keep feeding, your bees are in the process of superceding your queen. Go ahead and let them. But, keep an eye on them and make sure the virgin queen gets mated and makes it back to the hive. The queen cell should be capped at about day 7, it should hatch 7days later, the new queen should be laying two weeks later. If for some reason you don't find eggs at that time. You will need to act quickly with another queen. Other than that the hive looks ok. Lots of packages spuercede their queens. A frame of brood from another hive or swapping hive places with an established hive will help your package out.


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## finesherb (Apr 17, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the advice. Greatly appreciatte it.


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