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Date: | Sat, 22 May 1999 17:02:16 -0400 |
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Hi all...
A question from a relative newbee (with only 3 years under my belt, I still
certainly feel like a newbee. :-)
I went out to inspect my 4 colonies this morning. 2 of the colonies were
started from packages a month ago. I split one colony. All the hives
have new Buckfast queens. All the colonies except the one I made the split
split from seem to doing well. All are actively foraging. The one the split
was taken from has me concerned.
When I opened it, there was this unusual odor. It reminded me of wet, cut
grass that was starting to rot, but the smell was nowhere near as
overpowering. I didn't see any obvious signs of disease. But that smell
sure is nasty. If it is nectar, I'm curious what it is. :-)
What I did see was a lot of capped brood. Most of it looks like drone. I
didn't spot the queen. Though she isn't marked and with all the bees, I could
easily miss her. The bees were a bit more aggressive then usual, but I didn't
get stung.
Is it possible the new queen failed? There are no supercedure cells.
Could I have laying worker or just a bad new queen or just one that hasn't
settled down yet? And how do I figure which it is? What is my best choice
this late in the Spring if there is a problem? Recombine the split colony?
I would appreciate any advice bee-l'ers can offer. Thanks.
bob
--
bob billson email: [log in to unmask] ham: kc2wz
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