In message <[log in to unmask]>, Murray McGregor
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>We also had approx 15 whites and one blue this spring still active and
>doing generally well, but we have since raised a crop of young queens
>from these long lived old ladies and replaced them with some of their
>own progeny. A certain proportion of older queens, including a good
>number of the yellows of good strength, sportingly supercede which saves
>us a lot of work. (We keep them under pressure to lay which encourages
>this to happen)
Wonderful! How do you keep them under pressure to lay? Is this only by
making sure there is space to lay?

I have tried out one frame of black plastic foundation and it worked
fine as you suggested, between 2 brood frames. This was in a late split
in the old queen's box. They seemed to take a lot longer than a wax
foundation which they drew quite quickly. But she laid well. Eggs were
rather easily visible on the black background! They didn't make queen
cells.

I am putting another in tomorrow. I will try an experiment in a hive
which uses 14 inch square frames (exactly one brood and one super frame
high). I will put the foundation in long ways down at the front, leaving
a gap for the bees to fill at the back (I might change my mind when I
get there and leave the space at the front or put it in the middle to be
on the safe side). Up till now, I have used 14x12 and wired the bottom
end and put another wire in an inch below to support their comb and
stiffen mine from waving about. I will see if it works!

I haven't got round to the super frames. The weather has been awful. Now
there is a flow on, I'll make 2 up and get them into an actively drawing
colony.

I hope all is going well for you. I am just developing my new "hand
reared" and highly selected queens into nuclei and replacing poor or
swarmy or bad tempered stock. We seem to have a lot of chalk brood this
year so that's a target for re-queening too.
--
James Kilty