If you read my post from earlier this morning, you understand I conducted a search for queen bees in my newly relocated hives. The weather was pretty nice with cool morning air. I chose to do it early in the morning because it would not be very hot, bees would be less active? More importantly, I did not want to be rushed to complete the inspection before easter guests arrive.
Did I find queens? If you are impatient you will have to read ahead. I really want to capture my observations in a chronological order, so read on.
I opened Hive #2 first, the box on the right both with the white deep and wood colored medium box. They were both loaded with bees. So much so, that medium box might fool you into think it was not empty just a week ago. Good sign. When this hive was split most of the stored honey went with the medium box. Since I did not see add any additional food source, I was happy to see there was some honey in this hive. Or did I? My memory can be so fickle that I am now doubting it. I think I will add a voice recorder to my hive supplies so I can record like a mortician doing an autopsy. Anyhow, I certainly saw no sign that the bees were hungry.
I saw workers and drones, but I did not located the queen. More concerning to me is I really did not see any signs of laying activity. I did not have my glasses on which probably made it more challenging, but I thought I might have seen some eggs but I could not locate a progression of egg stages which makes me think, perhaps I did not. For none beekeepers, the egg laying activity when observed means there is most likely a queen. I say most likely because I understand workers can in emergency situations lay eggs.
In addition to bees, I saw a lot of capped brood. I saw queen cups and swarm cells. Pollen and bees with pollen were present and I could tell the bees were building was on the foundation. I really think that this is important because where can the queen lay eggs if there is no wax foundation prepared to receive eggs.
After restoring Hive 2, I took a few minutes to let the bees calm down. I did drop the first frame that I removed, “rookie move”. This also gave me a minute to stoke the smoker for the next hive. By the way, I purchased a butane torch like those used in chef kitchens, it made lighting the smoker and getting it going way easier and quicker.
Ok, Hive #1 which I opened second, I set the white medium box aside while I looked first at the newer deep box. There were not that many bees in this box. This makes sense since it was was as full of bees as the deep box it was formerly located with. It contains mostly frames with new foundation and signs of activity but no queen, no brood, no sign of laying and no honey. So, while I looked at all the frames it was not necessarily a productive use of time.
The white medium box like the other hive was full of bees, and unfortunately I also did not see a queen. I really need to practice this. This hive was missing a frame and the bees were already working to fill that space. So, there was new wax, honey, brood, queen cups and swarm cells and no certainty that egg laying is occurring. These frames were very difficult to move and slide in the box. I determined that taking a few minutes to scrape off more of the propolis build up to make it easier and smoother to move, extract, and return frames. I added a spare frame, so that medium box is full.
Conclusions
These two hives may or may not be operating as a single hive, but I do not really think that is what is happening. My justification is that bees are programmed to go where the queen goes. If one hive was barren, then I would assume there was only a single queen and she is not in that hive. The fact that both hives are so active makes me think there is a queen in each. That said, if there is a new queen in Hive #2 she will need to take a mating flight soon. I have a swarm trap located nearby, so perhaps at some point I will catch someone else’s bees, or my own if they swarm. A swarm would be nice because I know a queen is present in the swarm. Final conclusion, I will be opening my boxes weekly or about weekly until I can either see the queen or find evidence of egg laying activity.