All
This is my second year with one hive(I'll be setting up one more in a few
weeks) and I was a little worried about them because we'd had such a poor
spring here(Pacific Northwest, rain, cool, rain, cool, etc).
 
Last Sunday a more experienced neighbor came over to give me a hand and
started to take my boxes apart. He scolded me for my error of wintering them
with 2 deeps and one shallow with the excluder on top(I'd left one more
half-filled shallow on TOP of the excluder and added another shallow a few
weeks ago) and, after setting aside the two top shallow supers began to
disassemble the shallow frames below the excluder(all this in cloudy 50
degree weather---the bees were SOME upset!)
 
After removing 5 frames (full of honey and covered with bees) and exposing a
bunch of hatching full growth larvae wich appeared to have been built onto
the bottom of the frames, I finally prevailed on him to let well enough
alone and he replaced one frame of honey(leaving a large hole in that
shallow super)and we put it all back together.
 
He brushed the bees off the 4 combs of honey(mostly capped but quite a bit
uncapped) onto the hive entrance(where they quickly reentered the hive) and
I took those into the house. I noticed, while the hive was open, several
large cells along the bottom of 2 of the frames we removed and one that we
did not(so there may've been even more in the 3 frames we couldn't see(not
to mention the 20 deep BC frames below it).
 
I assume these to've been Q-cells(how does one differentiate from
Drones?)and am wondering at their production. Why there? Why now?
 
So my questions are:
1)Since the bees have had a week to settle down now, should I just leave
well enough alone until my new Queen arrives(2-3 wks)?...or shall I open 'er
up and replace those removed frames with fresh foundation?...or should I
remove a top super or two in hopes they'll force the Queen down so I can
remove this badly placed shallow  or?
 
2)My girls(Buckfast)seem to be healthy and numerous but I wouldn't like to
loose them. The last few days have been sunny but STILL cool(about 58)BUT
they seem to be working on a flow(there are blossoms EVERYWHERE hereabouts).
Does the fact that I saw SOME brood bode well for their continuing stability?
 
3)Its been an unusually cool spring here and I've been hesitant to disturb
them for inspection. Should I continue this cautious approach or do I NEED
to find out if I have brood in the deeps?
 
4)I've purchased a pollen trap but there are no directions and the fellow I
purchased it from couldn't remember how to install it. My concern is that,
no matter how I place it, it is going to be somewhat open at the back(to the
north)which doesn't seem right to me.
 
5)I'd like to have the hive inspected by someone who knows what they're
doing(Whatcom County, WA.) and would appreciate it if someone can supply an
e-mail address for the powers that be.<g>
 
 
...boulder
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>>God may forgive you for your sins but your nervous system won't!---OLD MAXIM
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