# Pictures



## mxr618 (Apr 23, 2008)

Sweet photos. How do you keep the clump together? My girls are always curious to see where the daylight is coming from.

Nice hive, too!


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Elsa said:


> Oh, the question is, should I use smoke on the Nuc? I haven't fired up my smoker yet since Hive 1 was perfectly happy to let me check them using syrup spray with Honey B Healthy in it and motivating them gently with the bee brush.



Great pics. I have only used smoke once. Mine don't seem to care that im there at all. I am going out to do a full inspection Sunday. And I should see my 2nd round of caped brood (I think). Last sunday all the old caped brood had been uncaped and my first new bees were on there way with all the old cells w/ fresh eggs.


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## Elsa (Dec 31, 2007)

mxr618 said:


> Sweet photos. How do you keep the clump together?



Uhhhh... you mean this isn't normal?? I don't know. They've been in there like that since the packages merged. Yesterday I checked them again and they're drawing the comb out toward the other side now. I've been feeding them, and we've had lots of bloom. I see lots of bees coming in with pollen baskets filled. Only a few girls seem to care about what I'm doing, but a couple decided to defend their hive and bounce off me the other day. 

Thanks for the nice words about my hive.  I just had to go with the most complicated plans I could find, you know  and then change them to suit some need or want, even though I didn't know what I was doing with bees!  But it turned out well, I think.

~ Elsa


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

>>you mean this isn't normal??

what was the temp when you took the picture?
I'd guess it was cool and they were in a cluster for warmth
try looking at em when the sun hits em and they warm up
you'll see a different picture

Dave


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>when I separated the bars just enough to look between them it appears that they may not be building straight and crossing the bars. Should I just not worry about that since I'm just starting the hive and know I won't worry about honey this year or??

Straighten things out. The sooner the better. Crooked comb leads to more crooked comb. Make frames if you have to and tie all the existing combs into them so they are all in line.

>Second question - I have a Nuc with Italians and I'm not sure how long I have to finish Hive 2 before they outgrow the nuc.

They will outgrow the nuc in about 2 weeks.

> I've had it for 2 weeks. No, I haven't opened it up because the weather has been crap.

Times up.

> That's my excuse... last week I didn't open it up either and it was nice. I'm going to go check it this morning. Oh, the question is, should I use smoke on the Nuc?

You can. You probably won't need it, but it might help.


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

Elsa said:


> Oh, the question is, should I use smoke on the Nuc?


It is unlikely that you would need to.



> I haven't fired up my smoker yet since Hive 1 was perfectly happy to let me check them using syrup spray with Honey B Healthy in it and motivating them gently with the bee brush.


I don't know your experience level but many folks new to beekeeping find lighting and keeping a smoker lit a bit of a challenge. I would light it when you work them if nothing else than for the practice. When that hive has many more bees, and many more guards you will find you might want it, and you will want to be proficient with it. They also do not light and produce smoke in an instant, so if you find you need some smoke, you will not want to be waiting. 

Fire it up, nothing says you have to smoke the bees themselves.

Keith


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

Michael Bush said:


> > I've had it for 2 weeks. No, I haven't opened it up because the weather has been crap.
> 
> Times up.


Indeed - those things can come on strong and swarm quick. I did the same thing a few years ago, life, the weather etc. got in the way and a nuc I had purchased (from Kutick's honey - very nice nucs BTW) swarmed after about 2-2.5 weeks.

Nice sized swarm too - I had no idea how they had originally fit in there! There is a silver lining though, I caught 'em. Still - it would have been nicer, and more productive had I kept the things in the original colony.

Keith


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## Aram (May 9, 2006)

*Cleanup*

Nice pictures.

_>>>...I put 8 brood bars in and 5 honey "blanks"<<<_
THey might like it better with just 2-3 brood and some honey bars on the outside. I don't have enough experience with this but I think they like to keep stores close to the brood and I doubt they'd start with 8 frames of brood right away. My bars are all 1 3/8. It's not ideal but they do what they want where they want.

_ >>>... when I separated the bars just enough to look between them it appears that they may not be building straight and crossing the bars. Should I just not worry about that since I'm just starting the hive and know I won't worry about honey this year or??<<<_
And the plan for next spring is???
As Michael says straighten things up right away. Sounds like you'll be busy with finishing the second hive so maybe even just open up the bars that are cross build, cut the comb that's not straight and let them clean up and start over. Use the follower board it will help them keep the comb straight and they don't need all that space yet.


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