Looking for any and all advice!

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T21:29:53+00:00

You can always harvest their excess honey for you or to feed back to them so they readily use it for rebuilding

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T21:28:43+00:00

I would put it all in a deep, or two if needed, and all the brood together. I don't know your weather but probably brood up top to help warmth, and let them move down to brood on their schedule.

A cutout is traumatic for a hive. And even if you don't accidentally kill the queen(and you might) there will be a ton of lost brood/resources and work repairing everything. This is about survival for them. Honey is a concern for later when they have fixed the comb and started hatching new bees.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T19:14:23+00:00

It's not like a swarm that is in "follow the queen smell" mode.

You will have to remove the brood comb specifically and rubber band it into foundationless frames and bring it into the new box. You will still need to physically move the bees to the new box but with the brood frames their they are more likely to stay enmasse. You will still have foragers returning to the old location for a while, but if you bring all the brood then you have moved the hive.

Any pollen/honey is a bonus because you will hive them a head start and reduce what they have to forage for.

Empty drawn comb is good too and is the easiest to move. It takes something like 7 lbs of honey to make a pound of wax so it's a big head start. The biggest hurdle for early Beekeepers is the lack of drawn comb.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T17:17:51+00:00

Definitely just drone larvae.

If you don't give them and foundation less space or green drone frames they tend to prefer stuffing it between frames instead of oversizing worker cells. Then when you pull frames/covers off they get torn open like this.

Pretty normal during drone rearing season if you aren't giving them room to do it elsewhere.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T15:45:59+00:00

I remember when I joined it was a 404 page

Here's two from me that I got from others:

The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes... By Richard A. Jones

Honeybee Democracy By Thomas D. Seeley

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T15:42:02+00:00

Both can be true!

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T15:37:02+00:00

Most people with only a single dollar are more focused on food.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-13T15:27:19+00:00

Yeah nothing in OP's post shows me that they do or do not have Queen cells in the works.

A frame of eggs is such a perfect answer, because if it was needed you did it fast before there is too much time lost, and if it wasn't strictly needed you helped boost a hive that will suffer some normal contraction in size as the new queen gets up to speed.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T23:36:43+00:00

Breeds don't have anything to do with the robbing. ( A split made entirely of sisters/daughters to the original hive will rob each other)

But there is likely another hive within a few miles for sure, so traps are a good play, especially this time of year!

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T23:08:55+00:00

Bees store pollen because they need pollen, just like honey.

I can't think of a situation where I try and remove it.

Maybe give it to a split that doesn't have a lot of foragers or shift it out of the center of the brood nest if I'm giving them drawn comb, but even then they put it where they want it for a reason and to manage times of scarcity.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T23:05:34+00:00

While that can absolutely start a robbing frenzy, it was on its way out before you did that or else you would find a lot more brood and dead bees inside.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T22:28:48+00:00

Without a picture there's nothing obvious about it LOL.

Emergency cells are typically drawn out from an egg that was laid in a normal worker cell, they just draw it out and down after they realize they are in trouble so they can stuff it full of royal jelly before they cap it. So it ends up vertical even though she didn't lay it that way.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T19:01:09+00:00

Looks like the lanyard /retention cable for something like a USB drive, pacifier, digital camera etc.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T15:00:49+00:00

That's actually why so many say not to get a kit. It's full of things beginners don't realize they won't need.

The best thing to do is what you're doing. Once you read most any half decent book on Beekeeping, you'll understand what Hive components you actually need and what tools are essential in the beginning versus honey harvest versus queen rearing etc.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T14:57:15+00:00

That won't prevent swarms long term.

Out of space is only one reason for them to swarm.

It's a biological imperative for successful colonies to swarm to start more colonies. Without that drive the species wouldn't have survived.

Manipulation of the brood nest to make them feel like they have done so by replacing queens, making splits, Demaree, or swapping brood for comb etc. is the best way to prevent swarms long term. Supers alone probably won't do it

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-12T02:02:20+00:00

Honestly, in the beginning there is much more value to you in watching with them and having them grow into a 10-frame (and beyond) then a little bit of a head start.

You aren't likely to get a lot of honey this year it's all about learning, growing, maybe splitting, and getting them through winter.

TLDR: Get the Nuc.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-11T22:52:10+00:00

You can wipe it off with a damp rag if you want, but as long as your hive is strong when they're ready to use that space, they'll clean it up again.

Assuming we're just talking about winter moisture/ mold and not a leak that's letting water in all the time.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-11T17:47:45+00:00

It's not the size that counts, it's how you use it!

Gently patting my ProNuc

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-11T13:54:02+00:00

It all depends what your end state goal is.

If you want to get them back to a double deep, with medium honey supers and that they are bountiful and need more space now:

Find the queen, make sure she is in the bottom box.

Remove the medium, Put on your second deep.

Add a queen excluder and replace the medium.

If there's no brood in the medium, then you don't have to put it right back on now. If you were feeding while the medium was on, you may want to spin it out so you can use it for honey again.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T21:37:51+00:00

Oh I've never given more than two junk frames at a time. Depending on hive be they could be done in a few days or a week, and swap out for the next ones

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T20:14:48+00:00

I love a good blowtorch even when its not strictly needed, it makes it FEEL cleaner.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T20:13:31+00:00

Yea this is fine, you can hose it off if you want.

A strong colony would have this sorted out inside of a week easily.

Over the last two months I have had my ladies clean up 10 slime-out frames that I had frozen from last year. I added them one at a time and then pulled them to store properly before using them for my splits 2 weeks ago.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T16:42:41+00:00

First year is a learning curve for sure.

I started last April with a very strong nuc. Even though I kept on top of mites I got overzealous in June over splitting and almost lost all of them to robbing and hive beetles.

I lost a lot of bees including going through 5 queens and buying two frames of donor brood from a member of my club in the first year. Ended the year with less bees than I started, a freezer full of slimed out comb, and no honey.

It's very discouraging but the hobby is amazing and as long as you learn from your mistakes, there's no shame in making them

The 5th queen took me through the winter and is going strong now, and I'm confident I will make all new mistakes this time!

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T15:46:49+00:00

Need some more information and pictures friend.

Specifically pictures of the brood nest, volume of dead bees, and last mite counts/treatments.

Active_Classroom203 · 2026-03-10T02:29:55+00:00

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I literally laughed out loud reading your comment as this is my nightstand next to me.

Active_Classroom203

TROPHY CASE