So there I was again – and this time is was hot and sunny – this is what dreams are made of.
I am on a mission. I need a structure to my hive checks.
Status: One hive which swarmed 2 weeks ago
Objective: Look for eggs, Queen and Queen cells
Results: I found 6 Queen cells (I know what these look like now). I could not see bee eggs or a Queen (which does not mean they were not present). Photos, like the one below, played tricks with my mind, but I think the white lines you can see when you zoom in, are light reflections rather than eggs.
Post hive check research: I checked beekeeping books and the internet to double check what bee eggs look like. Nope – none of them. I had a few texts and made a phone call – advice ranged from “assume there is a Queen and destroy all the Queen cells”, to, “you won’t have a Queen yet, but destroy all the Queen cells bar one (or two)” – to reduce after swarms I presume.
Analysis: Risk that there is no Queen yet – hence, best to keep some of the Queen cells. Risk that I might destroy the best Queen cells. Eek.
Decision: Let nature take its course. Let a Queen emerge and kill the other Queens and take a risk of further swarms. Sorry neighbours – but any swarm will be small as they already swarmed 3 weeks ago.
Good news: The Super appeared pretty heavy and a number of cells were capped, so I added a second super.
Reflection #1: It’s a relief I only have one hive as I am struggling just to keep up with building flat pack parts and manage the one hive.
Reflection #2: I am starting to feel more confident. I am starting to let go of being a perfect beekeeper in my first few weeks. I am starting to learn about the bees. A former boss used to say “just do what you can”. I think I am beginning to be able to adopt this attitude to beekeeping.
If you liked this post you might want to read some of my favourite posts.
Blige! I appear to have stumbled upon a beekeeper almost as inept as I am, and I’m from Bristol too. My bees just swarmed and I’ve stuffed ’em in two supers with a brood frame and three super frames for now whilst I think it through.
Sounds familiar. The bees take the lead and we can’t keep up.