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From 1 Strong Hive to 4 or More

From 1 Strong Hive to 4 or More. Adapted from C.C. Miller 50 Years Among the Bees. Number your stands not your hives.

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From 1 Strong Hive to 4 or More

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  1. From 1 Strong Hive to 4 or More Adapted from C.C. Miller 50 Years Among the Bees

  2. Number your stands not your hives Day 0 Hive on Stand 1 has “over-wintered.” It contains a laying queen, lots of workers, and a good brood pattern. Eggs are present, as well as brood in pupal and larval stages. The weather will be warm throughout the coming week. Nectar is flowing. Day 0 is over 50 degrees F and not very windy. 1 2 3 Think like a bee: Workers: It’s getting crowded in here. There’s hardly any place left for us to store nectar. Let’s put some in the bottom box, since we already filled the space around the brood in the top box . . . Queen: Hey – you haven’t left me any empty cells to lay eggs in! Workers: Maybe we should start building some swarm cells. 4 5 6

  3. Day 0 If possible, decrease the hive at stand 1 down to one box to pack them in. Move the hive to stand 2. Set up a new hive on Stand 1 (drawn comb or foundation but otherwise, empty). Locate the queen in the hive at stand 2 and put ONLY her in the hive at stand 1 1 2 3 Think like a bee at stand 2: Time for me to go out and forage. I know I always come back to stand 1. Hey! Where’s all that brood I was feeding? At least there’s a queen here. Oh well, I guess I’ll just store this stuff or digest it and make some wax out of it . . . OR . . . I’m a nurse bee and have never been out of this place before . . . And now there’s no queen here! The girls and I will just have to raise a new one from all these eggs and larvae. 4 5 6 What are the essential ingredients for raising a fat juicy new queen?

  4. Day 7 The hive at stand 2 will have queen cells in various stages. Set up a hive at stand 3. Come backin one week Put half the frames from stand 2 into hive at stand 3 making sure 50% of the queen cells are in each. Keep brood in adjacent frames in the middle. Fill in the empty space with drawn comb if possible. Otherwise, frames with foundation 1 2 3 Review your bee math:Stand 2 - on day 7 we may be 7 days into a queen’s life cycle (if she was an egg on day 1) or 10 days into her life cycle (if she was a newly hatched larvae on day 1). On what day of the cycle is a queen cell capped? What will we see in here? Review your bee math:Stand 1 - on day 7 the hive at stand 1 has worker brood 7 days old or less. On what day of the cycle is a worker cell capped? 4 5 6

  5. Day 14 Review your bee math: Stand 2 & Stand 3 – what should we see? Come backin one week The hives at stand 2 & 3 will have either virgin queens emerged or just about to emerge. DO NOT DISTURB! These ladies are at a very delicate time in life. Resist the temptation to look inside. 1 2 3 Instead, repeat what you did at the beginning (if you wish to continue the increase). Move the hive from Stand 1 to Stand 4. Move the hiv Set up a new hive on stand 1. Locate the queen in the hive at stand 4 and put ONLY her into the hive at stand 1. NOTE: This is Day 0for stand 4 and stand 1. 4 5 6

  6. Day 21 The hives at stand 2 & 3 will have queens in the midst of their mating term. DO NOT DISTURB! Watch from the outside in the afternoons – you may see her depart or return! Instead, continue to work with the hive at stand 4. Come backin one week 1 2 3 This is Day 7for Stand 4 (and for stand 1). What will we see in each of these? Put half the frames from stand 4 into hive at stand 5 making sure 50% of the queen cells are in each. Keep brood in adjacent frames in the middle. Fill in the empty space with drawn comb if possible. Otherwise, frames with foundation. Set up a new hive at Stand 5. 4 5 6

  7. Day 28 The hives at stand 2 & 3 will have laying queens. Take a look and assess the situation. When 7 of 10 frames are full, add a second box. You can always compare 2 to 3 for progress because you made them on the same day. Come backin one week 1 2 3 This is Day 15 for Stands 4, 5, and 1. The hives at stands 4 & 5 will have either virgin queens emerged or just about to emerge. DO NOT DISTURB! If you feel your bees can tolerate it, and the conditions are right, repeat. Otherwise, tend hive 1 as normal (when 7 of 10 frames are full, add a second box). Repeat? Where is the original queen? 4 5 6

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