# Did she swarm?



## navygirl (Oct 23, 2005)

I could get this cleared up with a phone call but wanted to share in case it will help another "newbee" like me. I know I have learned a lot from other folk's questions.
I got two hives on May 12. I checked them last week and again today. One of the hives is pretty strong...lots of bees, lots of honey, and at least one worker cell that I saw. 
The other seems lighter...fewer bees, not so much honey. In the brood chamber, no brood. I looked at four frames. Two with no brood, a little honey, one completely bare, not even drawn comb, and one with two queen cells. My newbee guess is that the queen swarmed and the remaining bees are raising new queens. Sound right? Also, why leave a completely empty frame in the brood chamber? Maybe they don't like that frame?
What do you all think?


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

I don't know the answer to your question but I'm glad you asked it here. I eagerly await responses.

Seems to me like there couldn't be anything in the queen cells if there was no queen to lay eggs.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I would like more information. 
How did you aquire the bees, packages, nucs or complete hives?
Your queen could have bee injured and died. Now the workers are replaceing her from eggs she must have laid. 
It is possiable she did swarm but I doubt it. Look at the queen cells. Is there a brown ring around the lowest part? If so she is near hatching time.

 Al


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## navygirl (Oct 23, 2005)

Alleyyooper,
I got the hives and bees from another beekeeper. Two brood chambers with a super on top of each. (hope my terminology is correct).
I didn't look closely enough at the queen cells to determine the presence of the brown ring and won't be out there again for a few days. I'll post an update when I do get out there (with more detailed observations).
I have no doubt that they will be just fine. Maybe a little behind the other hive in production. I might consider moving a couple frames of brood from the stronger hive over to the the queenless hive after she emerges. Think that might help strengthen the colony?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Seeing as how you got a complete set up from another bee keeper I doubt they swarmed, the other beekeeper I believe would have kept close tabs for swarm cells. I believe that the queen may have gotten injured in the move or died from some thing else.

Yes you can move brood th help out the weaker colony. That is one reason we strongly advise new bee keepers to start out with 2 colonies.

 Al


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## navygirl (Oct 23, 2005)

Okay,
I checked on them again today. There must definitely be a queen in the hive now. At least two of the queen cells are opened. So I'll just hope that the surviving queen survived the mating flight and keep checking for brood. I didn't move a brood frame from the stronger hive because it doesn't look like they have much brood to spare. A lot of the brood cells in the stronger hive were empty. 
So, I'll just wait a bit longer and check on them again. If nothing else, I'm getting experience going in and out of the hives and getting better at dealing with the girls when they get angry with me.


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## navygirl (Oct 23, 2005)

Strong hive- Had more honey today...lots more. Plenty more brood than before. They have worked all through the brood box and filled most of the first super box with honey but haven't really touched the second super box.
Weak hive- Seems to be more bees...lots more honey. Very little brood mostly consisting of drone and that is sporadic at best. Looked at 9 frames too. The first (and only on this hive) super box is filling up real well with honey. They are drawing comb where they weren't before.
Took a frame of brood from the strong hive and put it in the weak hive and took that frame from the brood chamber that the weak hive was avoiding and put it in the middle in the strong hive. It had about 75 percent filled with worker brood. About 25 percent empties. Not counting the honey band at the top.
Be sure to tune in next time on "The Saga of Navygirl's Bees".


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