Has been as interesting day. . .
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:40 pm
Hi everyone,
This afternoon my wife texted me a picture of one of our nucs. Seemed there was a bunch of bees hanging out or all 4 sides of the hive top feeder I put on it a couple of days ago. She put a robbing screen on it, just in case. After I arrived home, I went out to see what was going on, as the bees were still hanging out on the sides of the feeder. Interesting, I thought. I removed the telescoping top to find a bunch of bees on the screened inner cover. Among the mass of bees was a ball of bees. after a few strokes with my finger, guess what I saw?!? Yes, as queen. But not just any queen. That hives marked queen. I quickly put her in a queen clip, for safe keeping. That got me to thinking, why was she and most of her bees outside the hive??? I took to feeder off, to find about 2 whole frames worth of bees still inside. Thinking, maybe they were being or had been robbed, I started to pull frames to see the damage. They didn't have any capped honey, but I did see where they had started drawing out the waxed foundation I had given them. Couple of frames, in the middle, had a decent amount for brood, of all ages, in it. The rest was being filled with the sugar water they had received. On the 4th frame over, from the side I had started on, was a queen with a solid black abdomen. Russian queen? I don't have any Russian Queen hives. Whatever she is, I found it interesting that THEY had moved in and displaced the (bigger) colony that was residing there.
I left the Black queen and the bees that were currently occupying the hive in that hive and put the old occupants in a different nuc, else where in the yard. They seemed happy to have their own place again.
Anyone else had this happen to them?
Just thought I'd share. . .
Duane
This afternoon my wife texted me a picture of one of our nucs. Seemed there was a bunch of bees hanging out or all 4 sides of the hive top feeder I put on it a couple of days ago. She put a robbing screen on it, just in case. After I arrived home, I went out to see what was going on, as the bees were still hanging out on the sides of the feeder. Interesting, I thought. I removed the telescoping top to find a bunch of bees on the screened inner cover. Among the mass of bees was a ball of bees. after a few strokes with my finger, guess what I saw?!? Yes, as queen. But not just any queen. That hives marked queen. I quickly put her in a queen clip, for safe keeping. That got me to thinking, why was she and most of her bees outside the hive??? I took to feeder off, to find about 2 whole frames worth of bees still inside. Thinking, maybe they were being or had been robbed, I started to pull frames to see the damage. They didn't have any capped honey, but I did see where they had started drawing out the waxed foundation I had given them. Couple of frames, in the middle, had a decent amount for brood, of all ages, in it. The rest was being filled with the sugar water they had received. On the 4th frame over, from the side I had started on, was a queen with a solid black abdomen. Russian queen? I don't have any Russian Queen hives. Whatever she is, I found it interesting that THEY had moved in and displaced the (bigger) colony that was residing there.
I left the Black queen and the bees that were currently occupying the hive in that hive and put the old occupants in a different nuc, else where in the yard. They seemed happy to have their own place again.
Anyone else had this happen to them?
Just thought I'd share. . .
Duane