# Lazy Hive



## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

I wasn't sure what title this question. I'm a big experimenter and hobbyist beekeeper. I have no aspirations of selling honey at the local market. My wife gives most of our honey away as gifts...but that's a different problem.

This spring I dumped a three pound package with queen into two mediums and empty frames - no foundation, just frames. Much to my chagrin they built out the entire lower medium within two weeks and with the exception of one frame did it in mostly straight row. The queen went nuts and the population exploded.

That's where the success story ends. They never built out the upper medium despite my encouragement. I switched boxes and they just walked through the open box to reach the upper. The queen will fill two or three frames with brood and then take some time off. This pattern has repeated all summer.

I don't think this hive is strong enough to make through the winter so I'm at a decision time. I'm looking for suggestions. I have a hive with built out medium that I need to remove before winter. I was thinking of putting it on this hive to see if they will use it. I was also thinking of checker boarding the 10 frames they built. I could combine it with my other hive but I hate killing queens. Thoughts?

Thanks,

One more point...my old hive is varroa central, its been a struggle this year. The new hive is very clean with no mites or problems that I can find. It's one very happy, albeit small colony.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

I'd put them on feed for a couple weeks and if that doesn't change their attitude I'd be looking at requeening and feeding them out for the rest of the year in hopes of a strong colony next spring. I am very dis-satisfied with the queens i have seen in the last few years.Good luck.

Wade


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

There are a couple fixes. 

(1. add starter strips of wax to the undrawn frames and feed syrup to get them building.

(2. place empty frames every other one between the drawn out ones and hope.

(3 place the medium between the mediums of the colony that is working out as they should. and see if they will draw comb for you. 

Here you have about 45 to 60 days to get them built up.
The flow has been slow the last month they haven't been bringing in much. Yesterday I seen the Golden rod is starting to bloom and we have a week of rain in the forecast so it should produce a lot of nectar if it doesn't go dry again.

 Al


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## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

Thanks. I post a question and then go MIA! Alleyyooper I was actually in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor on business this week! This is my experimental hive. I went totally foundationless and I kept feeding in the spring until they stopped taking it...which didn't take long. Being the dearth I started feeding again. This weekend when I open the top I think I will checkerboard ( your #2 ) in both mediums. 

When I opened it last weekend I had two frames on both side completely full of capped brood with some honey and capped brood on every other frame. 

Here in northern Ohio the golden rod is starting to bloom in spots. The stuff in my backyard looks like it has more than a week or two to go. I live in suburbia so my neighbors think I'm crazy with a nice crop of golden rod growing. They also thought I wigged out when I sowed clover on the side of house!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

They sell Golden Rod as a perennial flower as well as Sumac here in this area at garden centers.
I have mostly Alsike clover as a lawn if people don't like it they can obey the no trespassing signs I have posted and stay out.

 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

That's our lawn too... dandelions and clover.


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## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

I love you guys for planting clover! I'm doing that too. Its on the side of my house.

I did the checkerboard thing with my weak hive. They sure aren't building it out as quickly as the first medium. I started refeeding again. In theory its the dearth but they are bringing in pollen from someplace. I'm hoping the extra supplies will encourage them to start building.

I'm a bit concerned because on the last inspection I found only capped brood (and a lot of off it!) but no larvae (heck with finding eggs, my eyes aren't that good). I'm not sure if its the dearth or if I'm queenless. I made a feeble attempt at looking for her but I'm usually pretty bad at spotting her. If I don't have any larvae after feeding for more than a week, it makes the decision to combine them with my healthy hive and close this one out pretty much a no brainer. I'm not putting a new queen into a partially built out hive this late in the year. If it was full of comb I'd feed different.


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