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I think you need to look again. I think you have a queen and/or brood in that box.

No, but I did on the clean-up.

I was bushhogging yesterday and got too close to a hive stand. Toppled 4 hives. Didn't make the bees a bit happy.

I have read that they will ball a hornet and raise the temp. inside the ball. The hornet can only live to 118 F. The honeybee can tolerate 119 F. How true it is, I don't know. I never tested it myself.

Beekeeping is highly personal. What works for one may not work for others. I got my first colony out of the attic of a house. I increased by having people pay me to take the bees not me pay them. Removals may not be ideal for you. An extra 10,000 or so each year, plus 30 to 50 colonies never hurt my...

Reedy fork, did you change the type of top lid or inner lid on the hives that would change the sun's effect on the hives' temperature?

Beez Needz sells honey locally. Why not drop by there and look at his prices. They must be fair, as he sells a lot.

They work fine until the SHB find them. Then BYE BYE honey.

Just a guess, but I would say likely an abscond from aa SHB slimed hive. The bees are trying to clean the queen.

Jacobs beat me to it.

How were the queen cells open. On the side, or nice round hole on the bottom end?

I've heard some say their bees were so gentle they could work them with no protection, or even no smoke. I had 2 hives like that 3 weeks ago. Today, I smoked them both and opened the first one. It was normal. I opened the second one and walked away quickly. About 20 stings when I opened it and more ...

NICE

Unless cash is no object, I would recommend one thing different from the above. I would start with one box each for two hives, two top feeders, and no queen excluder the first two years. A queen excluder is like a gun, it can be very useful used properly, but deadly "to the bees" if used w...

About 3 lbs Denton, N.C.

Doing it that way will work most times. Removing the queen to the nuc will work much better.If the hive is in swarm mode, they will swarm anyway if you do not remove her.

They went into swarm mode because of hive conditions. ""overcrowding, ETC."" Without reducing the swarming conditions, they will just build more cells and swarm. Better to remove the queen and make a nuc. Advertise and put a few bucks in your pocket. Nucs sell well and I don't kn...

Congrats.

A good sign of swarming prep. Better check for swarm cells.

Queens can start laying anytime after solstice. Dec 21, 22. A few drone cells may well have been laid in January. A better prospect than over wintering.