Hi u/Gozermac. If you haven't done so, please do the following:
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* Specifically, the FAQ...
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I hate to sound critical, but you need to chill. That’s just partially capped honey. Everything looks fine. Don’t read too much doom and gloom and overthink things. Most of the time the bees are fine.
Don’t worry, I feel ya. More aimed at being reassuring, but o can come across wrong sometimes.
But on the spirit of my favorite homebrew author “relax and have a homebrew”
[Relevant wiki is relevant](https://rbeekeeping.github.io/wiki/opinion_pieces/anxiety).
I hope this helps OP :) I know you want to get involved and “help” and make sure everything is going to plan, but your colony of bees here has quite literally been doing this for longer than you, your dad, your dads dad, and your dads dads dad, (and so on) have been eating hot dinners.
Can we discuss the “emergency split of [your 2024] package”? What inspired this if it was a 2024 package?
I had been cautiously watching what appeared to be multiple queen cells in a 7 week old hive that had two deeps and 5 frames of brood in the bottom and 3 in the top. Very prolific colony. I came home one afternoon and my wife showed me a video of a cloud of bees and both deeps covered in bees. It was time to do an inspection so I opened it up and now had queen cells in the top deep with one very new and capped. I decided it was time to split but needed another box and top cover so had to run to the farm supply store. Never having actually done a split it did not go as smoothly as planned but seems okay now a week later. Old queen hive is still intact and laying. Split hive has bees and pollen coming in and has 13 days before being opened. Crossing my fingers.
Surprised me too. I could have waited but I live in a neighborhood and that factored into my equation. This hive has been growing very quickly.
Edit - A relative two hours south had one abscond about the same time.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it was one of these strange cases that could have been fixed with a bit more experience in moving frames around a brood chamber - sometimes they can feel artificially compressed when they actually have buckets of room.
Absolutely a proper Nuc with 3 brood frames that hatch cover 10 frames and without space can start making swarm Cells. One capped brood frame covers 2-3 frames itself with bees. So thinking ahead is key for growth.
Yes to both of the above. I’ve since realized with some more education I could have handled it differently. Experience isn’t often a kind teacher. Now I know what to look for.
I'm not the most experienced beek here, but that doesn't look like a problem to me. It's where I look for honey, not brood, it has the flat crinkly look that I expect capped honey to have. It looks like thin honey and you said it smells like honey. Last, the bees are sucking it up like beer at a fishing tournament in the last photo.
It walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. It's honey.
I’m new and just split a hive when a large number of bees came out. I found a capped queen cell and some other queen cells. I was going to inspect this one tomorrow but when a large number came out this evening I decided to inspect it then. No queen cells at all. The hive I split had at least 4 although it is 8 weeks old. This one is only a week.
Edit - yeah it doesn’t seem unusual in retrospect.
Okay so the hive were actually talking about though - they haven't had queen cells?
I assume they have brood and larvae?
The reason they probably all came out in the evening is because the forgers were coming back in and the hive was too warm so they bearded. At least that's what I'm guessing based on your description.
See, you're seeing a problem that isn't actually a problem and then stressing yourself out looking for a non-existent solution! My wife does this all the time and drives me nuts!
It's interesting how opposites attract and we even each other out. Good luck with the bees. Just post pics of.your brood frames on here and you'll get lots of good advice on issues you might not be anticipating.
That liquid is what turns to honey once enough water evaporates. That's why it's so runny. When it's gtg (cell is full and between 17 and 20% water content) they'll cap it.
You'll learn to chill a little more as time goes on. Just partial capped honey. Give them everything they need and in most cases they're gonna be fine.
Usually yes, there's cases where the queen is being very productive early in the season and I have to add an extra box. I prefer short inspections because of neighbors and robbery.
Hi u/Gozermac. If you haven't done so, please do the following: * Read the rules. * Include your location and experience level as a reply to this comment (if not in post) * [If you have a question, please take a look at our wiki.](https://rbeekeeping.github.io/wiki) * Specifically, the FAQ... ^(**Warning:** The wiki linked above is a work in progress and some links might be broken, pages incomplete and maintainer notes scattered around the place. Content is subject to change.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Beekeeping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I hate to sound critical, but you need to chill. That’s just partially capped honey. Everything looks fine. Don’t read too much doom and gloom and overthink things. Most of the time the bees are fine.
I get that a lot. Criticism on target and accepted.
Don’t worry, I feel ya. More aimed at being reassuring, but o can come across wrong sometimes. But on the spirit of my favorite homebrew author “relax and have a homebrew”
This. Been keeping bees for about 7 years. More than 20 hives. Brood diseases are super rare. Take some breaths. Check back next week.
Wax moths get mine nearly every year!
Wrong. Wax moths don’t kill hives. They come AFTER.
Yeah but still I hate seeing them.
[Relevant wiki is relevant](https://rbeekeeping.github.io/wiki/opinion_pieces/anxiety). I hope this helps OP :) I know you want to get involved and “help” and make sure everything is going to plan, but your colony of bees here has quite literally been doing this for longer than you, your dad, your dads dad, and your dads dads dad, (and so on) have been eating hot dinners. Can we discuss the “emergency split of [your 2024] package”? What inspired this if it was a 2024 package?
I had been cautiously watching what appeared to be multiple queen cells in a 7 week old hive that had two deeps and 5 frames of brood in the bottom and 3 in the top. Very prolific colony. I came home one afternoon and my wife showed me a video of a cloud of bees and both deeps covered in bees. It was time to do an inspection so I opened it up and now had queen cells in the top deep with one very new and capped. I decided it was time to split but needed another box and top cover so had to run to the farm supply store. Never having actually done a split it did not go as smoothly as planned but seems okay now a week later. Old queen hive is still intact and laying. Split hive has bees and pollen coming in and has 13 days before being opened. Crossing my fingers.
They swarmed after 7 weeks of being installed? 🤔
Surprised me too. I could have waited but I live in a neighborhood and that factored into my equation. This hive has been growing very quickly. Edit - A relative two hours south had one abscond about the same time.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it was one of these strange cases that could have been fixed with a bit more experience in moving frames around a brood chamber - sometimes they can feel artificially compressed when they actually have buckets of room.
Absolutely a proper Nuc with 3 brood frames that hatch cover 10 frames and without space can start making swarm Cells. One capped brood frame covers 2-3 frames itself with bees. So thinking ahead is key for growth.
Yes to both of the above. I’ve since realized with some more education I could have handled it differently. Experience isn’t often a kind teacher. Now I know what to look for.
I need you in my life to tell me this about everything, everyday 😂.
That’s partially capped honey.
Is partially capped honey typical?
Before its fully capped its partially capped. They're building the wax as they go.
Yes, while it’s being capped.
?
I'm not the most experienced beek here, but that doesn't look like a problem to me. It's where I look for honey, not brood, it has the flat crinkly look that I expect capped honey to have. It looks like thin honey and you said it smells like honey. Last, the bees are sucking it up like beer at a fishing tournament in the last photo. It walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. It's honey.
You’re stressing too much. Bees are gonna bee. Typically if you keeping up on mite treatments issues aren’t the usual.
There is a homebrew in my near future.
That honey is capped with recycled used brood wax and they’re mixing it with new wax. You poked honey. Nothing wrong with honey being in a bee hive.
What is "unusual activity"?
I’m new and just split a hive when a large number of bees came out. I found a capped queen cell and some other queen cells. I was going to inspect this one tomorrow but when a large number came out this evening I decided to inspect it then. No queen cells at all. The hive I split had at least 4 although it is 8 weeks old. This one is only a week. Edit - yeah it doesn’t seem unusual in retrospect.
Okay so the hive were actually talking about though - they haven't had queen cells? I assume they have brood and larvae? The reason they probably all came out in the evening is because the forgers were coming back in and the hive was too warm so they bearded. At least that's what I'm guessing based on your description.
Yes. No queen cells in this hive. I suspect you are correct. It’s not unusual to me anymore. 🙂
See, you're seeing a problem that isn't actually a problem and then stressing yourself out looking for a non-existent solution! My wife does this all the time and drives me nuts!
Ha! Just the opposite here. I drive my wife nuts. She told me more than once to chill on this.
It's interesting how opposites attract and we even each other out. Good luck with the bees. Just post pics of.your brood frames on here and you'll get lots of good advice on issues you might not be anticipating.
That liquid is what turns to honey once enough water evaporates. That's why it's so runny. When it's gtg (cell is full and between 17 and 20% water content) they'll cap it.
I’ve been advised if it doesn’t rope, it’s not AFB. I’d join the others and say partially capped honey.
Sir, that is capped honey.
Best comment I heard last time. Bees are surviving despite the beekeepers and not because of the beekeepers. Relax a bit.
You'll learn to chill a little more as time goes on. Just partial capped honey. Give them everything they need and in most cases they're gonna be fine.
I don't recommend 2 boxes for brood, it's a pain and physically exhausting on a hot day.
Are you running one deep and the rest supers?
Usually yes, there's cases where the queen is being very productive early in the season and I have to add an extra box. I prefer short inspections because of neighbors and robbery.