The calm after the hurricane

Synopsis : What are you able to do with the spare nucs and queens left after a hit swarm regulate? After a ‘month of mayhem’, calm descends at the apiary and there are queens to mark, colonies to unite and – fortunately – just a little extra time for the whole lot.

Advent

The primary part of the beekeeping season – sure, for me a minimum of, greater than part of it has long past already – began very slowly. The lengthy, chilly early Spring appeared to prolong colonies from making swarm arrangements, regardless that they for sure constructed up strongly by way of foraging arduous when prerequisites have been appropriate and there was once a large number of pollen within the bins.

And, as a result of colonies have been sturdy and working out of area, when issues in any case warmed up the whole lot went just a little mad.

Thankfully, my apiary talk over with in the beginning of this week means that the ‘month of mayhem’ is over and it will have to now all be undeniable crusing till the tip of the season.

Now not do I think as regardless that I’m enjoying ‘catch up’ at all times, juggling a dozen metaphorical plates to get a excellent honey crop and no longer lose swarms, desperately on the lookout for spare apparatus, or cursing my loss of frames, or dummy forums or – maximum not too long ago – the ones little plastic ‘sweet’ caps for JzBz queen creation cages .

And, correctly, those apiary visits have been periodically interrupted by way of some impressive cloudbursts … however, as I drove house within the calm afterwards it was once transparent each I and the bees had weathered the hurricane and issues have been having a look excellent for the summer time honey and the rest of the season.

’Spare’ nucs and swarm regulate

My favoured swarm regulate approach comes to making ready a nucleus colony with the previous queen and letting the unique hive requeen itself.

If issues pass unsuitable then I’ve at all times were given the previous queen safely tucked away and he or she can also be pressed again into provider with out an excessive amount of interruption to the colony. The ‘previous’ queen typically isn’t all that previous and she’s going to most often carry out OK for plenty of extra months, regardless that they’re on occasion outdated past due within the season and also you’ll to find an unmarked queen within the field the next Spring.

But when issues pass proper you’re left with a ‘spare’ nuc.

Sooner than deciding what to do with the nuc have a handy guide a rough test at the queen it accommodates.

It’s on occasion no longer the only you set there.

I see this a few occasions each and every season. The nuc almost definitely makes an attempt to swarm with a clipped queen, the queen is misplaced, the swarm returns and the nuc requeens. On the other hand, the nucleus colony would possibly merely supersede the unique (aging) queen.

I’m no longer certain I may just reliably decide which of those occurs with out, a) seeing the nuc swarm, b) staring at the accompanying brood spoil, or c) discovering a laying queen and a mature queen mobile (or two queens) right through an inspection.

And that is additional confounded by way of the remark created from Eoghan Mac Giolla Coda on ’imperfect supersedure’ in line with the put up a fortnight in the past. This comes to the lack of the older queen prior to emergence of the brand new one, and as a result does create a brood spoil.

However regardless of the mechanism, the end result is a nuc headed by way of a present yr’s queen 🙂 .

What are the choices?

There’s virtually a countless vary of stuff you may just do with a spare nuc, however the majority of mine generally finally end up being:

1. United again to the unique colony – or every other colony – to spice up the body of workers for the summer time nectar float. The previous queen must be got rid of prior to uniting otherwise you possibility dropping the (possibly more youthful) queen heading the manufacturing colony. I’ll go back to uniting later on this put up.
2. Requeened by way of including a mobile reared from a grafted larva.
3. Used as a comb and brood ‘manufacturing facility’. Nucs unexpectedly outgrow their area until frames are continuously got rid of. Those brood-containing frames are used to complement different colonies (after shaking off the adhering bees), merged with the adhering bees to provide mobile raisers or – supplemented with a mature queen mobile or virgin queen from the incubator – used to provide further nucs. So long as the nuc isn’t weakened an excessive amount of you’ll be able to stay taking out complete frames and offering new frames which they’re going to draw and fill. The nuc will want feeding if there’s a dearth of nectar. It is a very helpful technique however calls for excellent commentary and the facility to pass judgement on how the colony is growing week by way of week.
4. Retained for overwintering to make up for any wintry weather losses or on the market the next Spring. For the previous it in point of fact is helping to have a requeened nuc and for the latter it’s crucial. Younger queens lay past due into the fall, generating an abundance of wintry weather bees and those little colonies overwinter neatly.
5. Offered on or donated to a novice. In each circumstances the nuc will have to have a present yr’s queen.
6. Constructed up right into a complete colony for honey manufacturing (once more generally after requeening).

I continuously do 3+2+4 … in that order.

Supersedure once more (in short)

A couple of weeks in the past I mentioned including a foil-wrapped (or possibly extra appropriately foil-protected because the complete mobile isn’t wrapped, however the tip – in which the queen will emerge – is left uncovered) queen mobile to a queenright colony with the goal of inducing supersedure (‘enforced’ supersedure?).

I did this with a small selection of colonies – each complete hives and nucs – all of that have been effectively requeened and now include a brand new unmarked and unclipped laying queen 🙂 .

I couldn’t to find the unique queen in those colonies however didn’t seek them exhaustively. It was once 15 days because the cells were added … plentiful time for the brand new queen to emerge, mature, mate (we’ve had superb queen mating prerequisites) and get started laying.

With out realizing when the unique queen disappeared it’s tricky to understand whether or not there was once an interruption to egg laying and, as I mentioned within the put up on supersedure, I don’t know the destiny of the unique queen.

Did the colony forestall supporting her as almost definitely occurs in ‘standard’ supersedure or did the brand new queen merely slaughter her?

One thing to check out and decide subsequent season …

Marking queens

With requeened hives following swarm regulate, and outdated queens in one of the crucial nucs, I spent a part of the afternoon marking and clipping queens. That is a type of actions that, by the point I’ve carried out 8 or 10, simply is going like clockwork.

No drama, no disaster.

The whole thing simply works – to find her, drop her into the marking cage, put the body down safely, stroll over to my ‘marking station’ within the coloration, clip her, mark her, depart her whilst the paint dries (undergo the remainder of the field), shake her gently to the ground of the cage and lay it onto the highest bars of the body … and he or she’ll stroll down right into a seam of bees without a fuss.

Alternatively, in spite of almost definitely marking loads through the years, the ‘treasured’ queens similar to the ones in nucs destined on the market , or the first actual of the afternoon, continuously contain a couple of jitters.

Discovering the queen is generally lovely easy until the colony is boiling over with employees. In nucs it’s a doddle.

If the queen has handiest not too long ago began laying she’ll virtually for sure be on one of the crucial central frames with eggs. Except in fact you’ve ’kippered’ the colony by way of the use of an excessive amount of smoke, wherein case she might be virtually any place.

Selecting up the queen may be generally somewhat simple. Alternatively, that is very a lot no longer one thing that ”If to start with you don’t be triumphant, take a look at, take a look at once more”.

Each and every successive failed strive you’re making leads to the queen getting extra agitated. She begins to run about. She’ll flap her wings frantically and take a look at to burrow into the corners of the body.

If that occurs depart it till subsequent week.

Many fingers make mild paintings … however I’ve handiest were given two

I initially used “crown of thorne’s” marking cages however feared impaling the queen or close by employees at the spikes, so now use “flip and mark” cages with a foam-topped plunger.

Keeping the body with the queen, choosing her up, hanging the body down and hanging the queen into the cage is more uncomplicated with greater than two fingers.

Be sure to have an concept the place you will position the body. You’ll handiest have one hand to try this because the queen is to your different hand. I generally steadiness the body on one lug and the ground bar within the open hive, or between the rails of the hive stand.

You’ll be able to do that safely – through which I imply with out crushing bees, shedding the body or jarring the hive – when keeping the body by way of only one lug. You can’t simply decrease the body into the brood field the use of one hand.

It’s no longer abnormal for a flying employee or two to research the queen you’re keeping. Every so often they even behave aggressively in opposition to her (in spite of possibly being from the similar hive).

I transfer clear of the hive to mark and clip the queen. This avoids being buzzed by way of inquisitive employees which isn’t ideally suited should you’re seeking to clip her wing with out amputating a leg. I generally depart the Posca pen and scissors in a shady nook of the apiary.

No longer deep coloration, I want in an effort to see what I’m doing, however out of direct daylight so I will be able to safely depart the caged queen there for a couple of mins whilst I type out the hive.

When returning the queen let her stroll out of the marking cage quietly.

A limping queen

In a single hive I discovered a laying queen and eggs laid in what appeared like day-old queen cells. The queen had handiest laid a body or so of eggs, however there have been no younger larvae so it was once transparent she had no longer been laying for greater than 3 days. This queen had taken a very long time to get mated and the colony was once utterly broodless.

The eggs have been situated appropriately on the backside of the cells however there have been a large number of overlooked cells and her total laying fee was once almost definitely not up to I might have anticipated.

And a more in-depth have a look at the queen confirmed why … her left rear leg was once paralysed and being dragged alongside in the back of her.

It is a deficient video (once more too few fingers!) and the body were out of the hive for a very long time so the queen was once just a little agitated. In an previous try to video her she’d resolutely failed to transport however she had the anticipated retinue of employees round her.

It appeared to me as regardless that the colony ‘knew’ there was once one thing unsuitable with the queen and the early queen cells have been a sign they have been going to supersede her.

Somewhat than wait every other 3+ weeks for a substitute I made up our minds to take away the limping queen and easily unite the colony with a type of ‘spare’ queenright nucs I had within the apiary.

Uniting colonies

The day was once considered one of sunny periods interspersed with very heavy showers and there was once a gusty wind blowing.

I generally unite colonies by way of laying a few overlapping sheets of newspaper over the brood field after which, after creating a small central(ish) hollow with the top of my hive device, gently position the second one brood field on most sensible.

Some recommend it’s OK to try this with an aging queen in a single field and a tender queen within the different, trusting that early life will succeed within the eventual disagreement.

I don’t.

Why depart it to likelihood?

I take away the queen I don’t need, stack the bins separated by way of newspaper and shut the hive up. That is virtually at all times a hit.

On a windy day it may be tough preserving the sheets of newspaper in position lengthy sufficient so as to add the second one brood field. Once more it’s a type of eventualities when you wish to have extra fingers.

The most obvious solution is to make use of pins to carry the newspaper in position. The sort proven above (I feel they’re termed ‘push pins’ when bought) are simple to deal with with gloved fingers and are a lot more helpful than same old drawing pins in my view. You’ll be able to purchase a magnetic device to push drawing pins in position nevertheless it’s yet another factor to lose within the depths of the bee bag.

Uniting nucs

If I’m uniting a nuc with a complete brood field I generally switch the nuc frames right into a 2d brood field and use a ‘fats dummy’ to occupy the vacant area.

This works neatly and saves having to both fill the higher field with spare frames or make investments (or much more likely bodge in combination) a devoted uniting board that incorporates the other flooring spaces of the 2 bins however that sits unused within the shed for 51 weeks of the yr.

Keeping off brood frames filled with nectar

However the summer time nectar float is ramping up.

Blackberry is flowering and the rosebay willow herb has already began. If I’m fortunate (I received’t be, it’s been too dry) the lime will get started in 7-10 days.

All of which means that that I might finally end up with a double brood field, rather underpopulated with bees, right through a powerful nectar float. Regardless of the supers additional up the stack, this generally implies that one of the crucial brood frames within the higher brood field shall be used for nectar garage.

Sure, because the colony expands they could transfer it up into the supers … however they may not. And in the event that they don’t I both need to extract from brood frames or, as soon as capped, retailer them for overwintering nucs.

I’d desire the nectar/honey went without delay into the supers 🙂 .

So, again to that limping queen … I got rid of her 🙁 . There was once no brood within the colony (rather then a body or two of eggs) however the nuc was once filled with bees and brood.

I merely got rid of 5 empty frames from the queenless brood field, shaking any bees again right into a central hole. I gave the highest of the brood field and the bottom of the nuc a handy guide a rough spray with an inexpensive and cheerful air freshener and positioned the nuc frames into the center of the brood field. Whilst moving the frames I ensured that the queen was once provide.

The air ‘freshener’ mask the other hive scents and, by the point it dissipates, the colonies have mingled.

In the case of protective the added queen you may be able to do that with out the air freshener, however I’d additionally desire the bees at the outer edge didn’t combat.

Presented virgin queens

Ultimate week I in short mentioned how I had let some queens emerge in an incubator after which presented them to a colony a couple of days later.

The queens emerged on a Friday into their Nicot cages and have been added to nucs in fondant-plugged JzBz queen creation cages the next Monday.

One week later I situated the queens of their nucs.

All have been ‘plump and swaggering’, giving each affect that they have been now mated, regardless that a perfunctory seek urged that none have been but laying. There’s generally a prolong of 48-72 hours between mating and the onset of egg laying.

The variation in look between a thin, skittish virgin and a mated queen – even the ones but to start out laying – could be very hanging.

I’ve each expectation those nucs could have laying queens in them after I subsequent prise off the lids.

Queen mating in Scotland can get just a little hit or miss later within the season. I can be rearing extra queens however can be stunned if we’ve such excellent climate within the subsequent 4-6 weeks for mating. It’s subsequently most likely that a minimum of a few of these nucs will finally end up being overwintered. I’ll wish to make sure that they don’t get too sturdy, so – as defined above – will periodically take away frames of brood (used to spice up honey manufacturing colonies) to stay them in test.

Taking inventory

~10-20% of my colonies have wanted no swarm regulate. Those have been all used to supply bees and brood for making ready a queenless mobile raiser. They have been very sturdy colonies however a mixture of acute commentary and skilful beekeeping easy dumb good fortune intended all of them seem to have stayed within the field … and generated a substantial surplus of honey.

I ‘misplaced’ one swarm however recovered it from below the shed a couple of days later. I did lose a couple of clipped queens when colonies tried to swarm and have been thwarted, however I’m no longer mindful I misplaced the employees from any of my hives (regardless that there’s nonetheless time for a 2d spherical of swarming in mid/past due July if the elements is excellent).

Alternatively, with the rest of hives both containing mated and laying queens, mated queens or – with regards to the nucs made up with cells from the Hopkins approach of queen rearing – not too long ago emerged queens, the whole lot now feels roughly below regulate.

I’ve piled supers onto the entire sturdy hives and can now focal point on making ready a few of my west coast colonies for the heather. The bell is already flowering and the ling shall be alongside in ~5 weeks, or possibly much less as the whole lot feels just a little forward of itself this yr. An inexpensive heather crop is one thing I’ve singularly failed with prior to now, so there’s loads to be informed (i.e. loads to get unsuitable).

However on those unending summer time evenings it’s additionally excellent to take a little time clear of the bees and paddle around the loch to enroll in the dolphins chasing the mackerel at the incoming tide or – much less interesting – see one of the crucial greatest Lion’s mane jellyfish I’ve ever encountered 🙁 .

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