Blog Author
new2it33
(view profile)
Recent Entries to this Blog Goodbye Garden!
Posted: 05 Jul 2012
Her Majesty, a take off and landing, and a couple more!
Posted: 05 Jul 2012
Hive # 1 is strong, I hope!
Posted: 26 Jun 2012
Queenless no more!
Posted: 22 Jun 2012
Hive #2
Posted: 19 Jun 2012

All Entries
 


Problems with hive #2

Category: Happenings around the house | Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 3:02 pm

We installed a swarm in a second hive. My mentor set me up with a deep hive body and 10 frames. This was a blessing, or was it? I need some advice. The frames are mismatched, wood and plastic. The foundations are all different. Some plasticell, some duragilt, some beeswax. Some were already drawn, some weren't and two were full of honey. The few that were drawn are deformed, and when I opened the hive yesterday, I discovered roaches. The bees aren't foraging very much, the queen is laying very slowly, and all the bees are gathered on the honey. they are not drawing comb. What sould I do?


This blog entry has been viewed 296 times
You're reading one of many blogs on GardenStew.com.
Register for free and start your own blog today.


Comments

carolyn keiper wrote on Thu May 24, 2012 7:51 pm:


New2it33, Sorry to hear this hive isn't doing as you had hoped. First I would ditch all the mismatched frames...as in get rid of all the plastic stuff. They don't work on it.The roaches are part of hive existence, I haven't found them to be any great pest only disgusting. Now, get your new frames assembled and ready to put in the new hive, set them up close to your existing one. Go to the established hive and open it, go through it and take out a frame with new eggs on it, making sure you don't take the queen with you (you may need to get help for this step just to be on the safe side) then put this in the center of your hive that isn't doing so well. put the frames that have honey to the outside, any frames with pollen to the inside of them, then the egg frame close the center along with any frames that have eggs. I would recommend killing the existing queen. They will make a new queen from this frame of eggs. I would suggest a trip the library to help, get a book on them and readup.





Leave a Comment


Login or register to leave a comment.