Thursday, May 28, 2015

So.... how did it go?

It went quite well!
Maidi and I suited up (unnecessarily) and got the frames into the nuc.  I lifted the top with almost all the bees hanging down from it.  Maidi placed the frames into the nuc and I then slowly lowered the top.  It hit an obstruction.  I looked and, not surprisingly, there was a hand sized piece of comb that I had to scape off.  The bees had built this in such a short time.  There was even some sugar water nectar in it.
I got the lid back on and replaced the feeder, which earlier had spilled some onto the table, and the nuc was back in business.
We went to take a look at Olea's.  I wanted to show Maidi what I had noted earlier.  There were 5-1/2 bare combs, more than yesterday.
There was also an opened queen cell.  A queen had emerged.
The lower cell is opened, the upper still capped

Close up of chewed off cap
There were still a few unopened queen cells.
As we were admiring the bees, I thought "Why are there so many fewer?  Could they have cast a second swarm?"
I looked up and around and there behind the apple tree on the trellis was this:
They must have swarmed yesterday after we had left for marimba.  Another queen should emerge within the next 24 hour..  I hope they do not cast a tertiary swarm.
When a colony casts a second swarm, the queen is still a virgin.  She will not mate until they have moved into a hive.  You can see how much smaller the cluster is than the primary swarm.  I have no intention of trying to capture this one.  Perhaps I will call another beek to collect it.

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