Hi Allen,

yes, you are right I did have half a clue (but only half) before opening the thread but I wanted to see what I was overlooking, particularly with a second location that is very close and also a possible concern about fertilization.  Well I really did get lucky with the responses.  I guess that some of the people on the list may have grey hair and a lot of experience to share, I have been able to learn from that in what people kindly wrote.   

Yesterday we decided to start a batch of queens so in a week we will know if we got it right this time (sometimes we have disappointing results).  We will then split and relocate a few days before the new queens are due to emerge.  

You ask about absconding.  This is probably my biggest cause of colony loss.  The causes are not always clear.  It may be that in the hot season some of the colonies get just too hot (the sun can move around during the year and what was a hive in the shade becomes a hive in the sun for part of the day).  The hot season is hot such that if you take out a frame and tough the wax it will instantly change shape.  

The other cause that I have not figured out (if it is the cause or I see the effect) is ants.  I have had a couple of hives where the bees went awol.  Inside the hives I have never seen so many really small red ants (pin head size and down), they totally covered all frames.  Pick up a frame and you put it down real quick, those ants may be small but they bite and focus your attention.  

The bees were totally absent from one hive and when I opened it up a number of hornets came out. So pleased not to get stung on that occasion.  Not sure if the bees had gone as a result of hornet attack or had been taken away by the hornets as lunch.

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