Hiving our bees

[zzen01]

Hello All,

Happy Mother's Day to all the "Queen Bees" out there!!

I have a question. We had a hive of bees that survived the winter, but when we opened them, they were ALL in one super and we couldn't find a queen. There didn't seem to be as many as there normally are. We decided to go ahead and buy a whole package of bees, including the queen. Problem is that when we went to hive them there turned out to be a FEW brood in a couple of the frames. Still couldn't find the queen, but we're not really very good at that. Anyway, after discussion and trying to decide what to do, we went ahead and put all the bees and the new queen into the hive. Today we checked the hive. As you might imagine, it is a very busy hive!! We were worried that the bees might kill each other, but it doesn't appear so. Still not sure if we have just one queen, or two now. Did we make a mistake in doing it that way?? Now that there seems to be an overabundance of bees, should we divide the hive?? If we do should we try and find the queen and then get a new queen for the other?? Or should we just leave them all together and see what happens?? Did we totally goof this hive up?? Thanks for any advice....or productive scorning for doing this wrong!! We can use the advice of you novices!! Thanks!!

Steve and Wendy Zenor

[Tommyt]

Think your Post is one package to late 
If you had a queen (and you did) they more than likely did fight
I hope bot lived, If one did your still good
If your Lucky both are there go looking catch the first you find
Put her and some bees in another Hive and keep her caged for a few days
watch the other hive see how they act and if there is a growing number
of eggs?
If you see eggs you have 2 queen right hives. I'm new also but I know never put a
queen into a colony that has a queen already,unless your into queen fighting
maybe there is something too it like bleep Fighting
The reason IMHO you saw only some larva is its early up there or you did  in fact have a
poor queen?? I would think as far up north as you are she was just getting
started ,Keep in mind I am in the learning curve too

Good luck hope some of the real Beeks post up

Tommyt

[organicfarmer]

You don't say how many bees there were to start with in the surviving hive. If it was a handful, i would have just given up on them. If it was a half a hive body, i would have not combined, maybe replace the queen eventually if she was not a good layer; to evaluate when the strong of season comes but by now up here she should be laying pretty good, more than a patch of brood.
In any case the package could have been on its own.

[zzen01]

They are doing pretty well. I will probably do a split later on this year. If I do do a split then will the "receiver" hive raise thier own queen of will I need to get a new queen and when should I do this split?

[indypartridge]

I will probably do a split later on this year. If I do do a split then will the "receiver" hive raise their own queen or will I need to get a new queen and when should I do this split?

That's up to you. You can make a split when the colony is strong enough to be split. You can do an even split, or just take a few frames and make a nuc. You can let them raise a queen, or install a purchased queen.

There are different ways of making splits for different reasons. I recommend you start reading here:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm