Path: nntp.earthlink.net!usenet From: Worker Bee <[log in to unmask]> Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping Subject: Spring Build up Date: Sat, 01 Mar 1997 01:17:30 -0600 Organization: Earthlink Network, Inc. Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] NNTP-Posting-Host: ip242.rocky-mount.nc.pub-ip.psi.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win16; I) It is way too early here in eastern NC for the bees to have built up so much. I looked in on a couple of hives yesterday and they are really on their way. If we get a really cold snap, I'm sure that we'll lose some brood. I added a deep super with foundation to each to give them some room to grow. The hive with a store bought queen(96 to replace a swarm queen that was not mated) had several uncapped queen cells up high on the combs. I'm not sure why, but I'll keep an eye on them. There was one funny looking capped cell that was larger than a drone cell but not nearly large enough for a queen cell. I broke it open. I also found a very large number of newly built drone cells in the shallow super where last year they were worker cells. It was a super with wired foundation that was full of honey for the winter. The two I opened yesterday have the plastic frames that really keep the drone cells down. The bees do not glue these plastic frames to the rails. Great. NO way!!!. The problem is that the little honeys build comb on it up to the next racks, fill it with drone cells and glue it to the upper racks. When lifting the upper box all the plastic frames lift also and have to be very carefully broken loose and lowered back into place. Not only is it a royal pain, but the queen could be rolled and hurt. Does anyone have a solution or seen a similar problem? I have a peach tree in full bloom and have not seen a single honey bee on a bloom and I have 3 hived not 200 feet from it. Last year, my bees did not work the blueberries. Thanks Don