the combs - so after 3 colonies I abandoned the plan. Continued on Tuesdaypm . So here is what I did.
I have 5 colonies now and each one is at a different stage of development.
New Red Hive : Original Q (2013) from artificial swarm (18th June). Queen (marked) laying well.
5 frames full; bees drawing foundation. Plenty pollen and nectar.
3 Supers - top one full and sealed - put clearer board on. Remove tomorrow.
White Hive : Artificial swarm (18th June) - still no sign of a laying Q. Give her till 1st Aug. then put
in a comb of eggs/brood from another colony. If they haven't a Q they'll start to develop
a new one.
Blue Hive : This colony is a combination with Yellow hive after I removed a poor laying Q.
She's residing in my freezer now.
The surviving Q is marked white (2011) so quite old but still laying well. This colony will
be united with a younger Q colony soon (this year).
3 Supers - 2 very heavy - put clearer board on next insp.
Lime Hive : This colony is the swarm given to me - very excitable and today became agressive -
now QB is nursing 6 stings which are swelling nicely! However nasty a colony is it still has
to be closely inspected. I didn't see the Q but she is laying prolifically with eggs/larvae/
capped brood right to the edges of 6 combs.
2 Supers - top one full - put clearer board on. Added Super drawn comb above QX.
Silver 17 : This is the colony made up of 3 nucs. combined using peppermint spray into a WBC hive.
Only one nuc. successfully raised a Q (mark green when I find her). There is a very
scattered pattern of eggs/larvae/ brood. QB will keep a beady eye on this colony. It
needs the new Q to improve her laying pretty quickly or else ......!
This is the WBC hive of the 3 nucs.
This colony will be called Silver17 (for complicated historic reasons)
There will be a silver-painted rock on front of it - helping me and the bees to identify it.
Back to nursing my ever-swelling stings QBZzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tomorrow we begin spinning honey from the combs.
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