# Beehive at 3 weeks



## Brandon (May 1, 2009)

What kind of comb development and brood pattern should I be seeing for bees that I've had for about 3 weeks?


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## beerancher (Dec 30, 2008)

IMHO Technically to answer this one we will need more info and even then one hive will vary from another. is the hive strong and growing for 3 weeks or is it dwindling. Are you using the foundationless method or using foundation If Using foundation is it wax or plastic. Are you feeding. Do you have a flow on. Did you start with a package, nuc, or was it a swarm you picked up. hows the weather been. If using foundation how much comb do you have drawn so far, are you rotating in the frames of foundation near the brood nest has they draw out the comb. Are you using deeps or mediums. Anyhow as you can see there are a lot of variables that effect hive build up. Typically what I have seen is when using deeps with crimped wire foundation feeding 1:1 syrup to a good strong nuc hive in 10 frame equipment can draw out 2 frames a week if the weathers right and you keep feed on them. Brood pattern will depend on the queen. How much room she has to lay. again the weather and if you are feeding will be a factor. Hope this helps.


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## Brandon (May 1, 2009)

Long story short. Through miscommunication with a beekeeper and my in-laws, I've only had my bees about a week. They are a 3 pound package. He put them in one deep super. He fed, but I don't know how much. I got them home last Friday and have been feeding a quart a day(they empty it every day). We've had a few days of rain over the 3 week period, but it has been fairly good weather. I checked the super yesterday since I finally got some beekeeping equipment in. I checked three frames and they all were full of beeswax(to the best I could tell, so were the others). I started at one end and then one in the middle. I didn't notice any brood, so I checked the one on the other end and saw a few, but not what I expectedc, although this may be perfectly normal. I'm just wondering if I"m being overly anxious. Also, do I need to add another super now that the wax has been drawn out, or wait until they fill it more? These are standard wax foundations.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

Remove the lid and look down. If 9 or more spaces between frames are full of bees, add a super. If not, don't.
Before adding the super, check all frames for brood. If no young larva is found, you have a problem. Get a local beek to look and advise.


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## beerancher (Dec 30, 2008)

usually I try to add the 2nd deep when the first deep has 8 frames drawn I would add the second deep now. when you do add it move a frame of brood up into the second one to bait the bees up and replace the frame in the first deep with foundation. as for the brood usually the brood will be in the center of the hive but not always. Are you sure there is no brood or do you have some capped brood that is ready to emerge you may be mistakin for capped stores. Is the hive honey bound where the queen doesnt have room to lay. With a quart a day going into one deep you may have congested and restricted the area of the brood nest at which point they may have thrown a swarm. which would make the hive broodless for awhile.


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## Brandon (May 1, 2009)

I'm not really sure whether or not I have any brood mistaken for capped honey. It's possible. I'm a little unprepared. I was expecting to get a pac of bees and a new hive. What I got was one used deep super and the bees, and the price was too high in my opinion. Since I only got one super, I have the choice of either adding a medium super that I can get from the in-laws, or purchasing one, but I don't know how soon I can get one. I'm a little afraid of opening up the hive too much. I was reading about the queen flying off and not getting back sometimes, although I don't know how often that happens. BTW, how many bees get accidentally killed when you are working a hive? I tried to be careful but it seems like I killed more than I had planned on. The bees are easily flying in and out of the hive, but I don't know about the queen being trapped. Last question, what's the best way to get a frame out? I used my hive tool to pry it loose, but with gloves on, I can't reach in and grab it, and I've messed up honey in the corner when I used the hive tool to wedge it out.


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## beerancher (Dec 30, 2008)

IMO you cant get into a hive to much the first year if you stay within reason. That is how you learn. As far as the queen flying off it shouldnt happen most queens have to slim down to fly. You run more of a risk squishing her during an inspection than having her fly off. I am not sure what hive tool you use but I use the maxant with the J hook on the end. I wouldnt use anything else. But then again I usually dont wear gloves when I am inspecting a hive unless I am not using smoke.


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## Brandon (May 1, 2009)

Now I'm worried that I might have crushed her. The hive tool I have is the one from Kelly's. It's the standard crow bar shaped tool.


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## Farmerwilly2 (Oct 14, 2006)

I use a frame grabber as it's easier to lift a frame for my big fingers. I use a nuc with a bottom as a tool box/frame rest to keep from loosing any of the gals.


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## beeman97 (Jul 13, 2003)

Brandon,
I would highly suggest by reading your posts that you contact your local cooperative extension & find your local bee keepers & getting together with 1 to get some assistance in learning what to do & what to look for when opening a hive, reading books is great but nothing can replace the knowledge learned from someone who is an expert.
good luck


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## Brandon (May 1, 2009)

Well, everything's okay. I'm the type that just looks for disaster, and tries to find ways to head it off.

Contacting my local extension agents wouldn't do much good. There's only one of them that knows as much as me, so they're not much help. There isn't a beekeeping club in the county I live or the county I work. There are a few beekeepers locally, but each seems to have his own opinions, and from what I seem to understand each doesn't like the others. It's actually funny. Youtube has been a big help with videos, and of course the questions I've asked here.

I'm going to add a super this afternoon when I get home. I'll just keep a check on how fast they start filling it up.


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