Migrated the bees from the first Beehaus to some new hives last week so I could try out the Rose Hive Method and it all seemed to go well. Went away and left them to themselves to settle in. They are still going back and forward with pollen to keep the hive going.
Today I’ve been prepping the second hive, the one I’m going to split and it is coming along nicely as well. Plenty of growth and activity.
While doing that I went into the new hive to see how it was going and it doesn’t look too good. I can’t find the queen and there are no eggs or larvae which means the queen has not been laying since I migrated them which suggests that I must have killed or injured her in some way during the transfer. Having no eggs means that the bees can’t replace her so the hive cannot survive on its own.
I’m going to take a frame of eggs from the second hive and use it to kick start the first hive. Of course it means I’ll have to delay migrating the second hive for a week but I need to try and save the new hive.
Such is life in the animal kingdom. Nothing ever goes as planned.
I’m going to take a frame of eggs from the second hive and use it to kick start the first hive.
Sounds a bit incestuous, that. Do they not suffer from inbreeding?
Sounds a bit like that I agree but It’ll simply be a hive of children to the second hives queen. Different dad.
Can’t see them suffering from inbreeding because of the haphazard way that dad gets into the mix.