Requeening, Disease Inspection and Overwintering Preparation

Hive type	Hive code	Queen condition (colour marking)	Queen source	Intro-duction date	Action/Notes
Paradise nuc 2x6F	N05	Eval (Y)	AQBL Italian	12.10.2016	Use for observation hive/requeening
2Q 3 ½ x 8F	J01A	OK (Y)	Malfroy Italian	13.10.2017	Remove supers and revert to single queen colony
2Q 3 ½ x 8F	J01B	RQ (Y)	Supersedure queen	15.12.2017	Remove supers and revert to single queen colony
Langstroth 3x8F	J02	Eval (Y)	Denmar Italian	17.01.2017	Evaluate queen, remove super
2Q Technoset tower	J03	OK (Y) x 2	Malfroy Italians x 2	31.10.2017	Revert 2Q colony to two single queen doubles
Paradise 3x10F	J04	Eval (B)	AQBL Italian	17.01.2017	Keep 1 box for apiary, remove stickies; leave super on hive with or without hive mat under to super
Langstroth 4x10F	J05	Eval (B)	AQBL Italian	17.01.2017	Remove honey and 2 supers; distribute some honey if not extracted
Temporary 3x8F colony with old queen	J20	OK (Y)	AQBL Italian	02.11.2017	Split colony to nucs mid Feb for requeening program
KTB	J06	Eval (B)	AQBL Italian	17.01.2017	Maybe leave on for winter stores, Prepare for late flow and overwintering
Horizontal Langstroth 27F	J007#	Eval (Y)	AQBL Italian	11.10.2017  Bruce J19 colony**	Frank reckons cranky Prepare for late flow and overwintering
Paradise 3x8F	J08	Eval (B)	AQBL Italian	17.01.2017	John Grubb reported very cranky. Exchange stickies for honey in brood box
Flow hive 1x6Fjumbo	J09	RQ (Y)	Emergency queen	Malfroy  queen lost New Q seen 09.12.2017	Replace flow frames with 8 Langstroth frames for overwintering
Langstroth 3x8F	J10	RQ(B)	AQBL Italian	17.01.2017	Chalkbrood ridden. Requeen mid Feb and irradiate super/combs
Paradise nuc 2x6F	N02	OK (Y)	AQBL Caucasian	01.11.2017	Use new AQBL Caucasian Q to requeen J12: Split to 2 nucs for Feb requeening
Ulster observation hive 1x6F	J* (J star)	–	–		Establish temporary obs hive for BAACTI events; return to Paradise nuc for overwintering
Warrė 3x8F	J11	RQ (W)	Briggs Caucasian	Late 2016?	Leave stores for overwintering
Warrė 3x8F	J12	Eval (W)	Malfroy Italian	17.01.2017Old Bruce J20	Colony cranky.Crook combs removed
KTB 21F	J13	RQ (W)	Briggs Caucasian	Late 2016?	Organise for late flow and overwintering
KTB 24F	J14	RQ (Y)	Briggs Caucasian	Late 2016?	Organise for late flow and overwintering
Langstroth 4x8F	J15	RQ (B)	Denmar Italian	15.12.2016	Remove dry stickies from supers and reduce to 3x8F
Paradise 3x9F	J16	Eval (B)	Briggs Caucasian	04.02.2017	Put some stickies down in brood nest
Langstroth 2x8F	J17	OK (Y)	Malfroy Italian	11.10.2017	New queen, leave to overwinter
Langstroth 3x8F	J18	OK (Y)	Malfroy Italian	11.10.2017	New queen, build to overwinter, remove super

 

*Colony starved winter 2017.

 

All colonies (except Warre and Top Bar colonies to be concertina’d to single queen Langstroth double equivalents (queen excluders to be stored under lids). All colonies to be evaluated for absence/presence of AFB/EFB. Colony J10 chalkbrood must be requeened and gear removed irradiated.

 

Basic strategy is to consolidate brood and stores, check for disease prevalence, requeen failing colony queens and establish 6 nucs to allow late autumn evaluation of older queens with view to replace any poor performers. A few nucs with swapped out old queens may be kept overwinter in insulated and well stocked Paradise nucs to reduce overwintered supersedure colonies. Frames to be stored in Koji 52 L boxes after wax moth treatment to return to same hives in spring 2018. All poor and old frames to be rendered for wax recovery.