NewBee Keeper Journey

03/06/2026

Sansa’s colony didn’t make it through the winter 😭

03/06/2026

08/11/2025

Evening Check on Sansa’s Split Colony

Yesterday, around 7:40 PM just before sunsetI went to check on the split hive, Sansa’s colony. I picked this time on purpose because by then, most of the forager bees are back inside the hive. This way, when I move the boxes to combine the colonies, the bees won’t get lost flying around outside in the dark.

To my surprise, even though I expected the split to be queenless, I found larvae and brood in the brood box! That means the queen might still be present

I was planning to combine Sansa’s split with the original colony using the newspaper method. This means placing a layer of newspaper with a few holes between the two hive boxes. The bees will slowly get used to each other’s scent while still separated by the paper. Over a few days, they’ll chew through the paper and unite peacefully without fighting.

It’s a slow and smart way to combine hives and keep the bees calm and safe

08/11/2025

Evening Check on Sansa’s Split Colony

Yesterday, around 7:40 PMjust before sunset I went to check on the split hive, Sansa’s colony. I picked this time on purpose because by then, most of the forager bees are back inside the hive. This way, when I move the boxes to combine the colonies, the bees won’t get lost flying around outside in the dark.

To my surprise, even though I expected the split to be queenless, I found larvae and brood in the brood box! That means the queen might still be present.

I was planning to combine Sansa’s split with the original colony using the newspaper method. This means placing a layer of newspaper with a few holes between the two hive boxes. The bees will slowly get used to each other’s scent while still separated by the paper. Over a few days, they’ll chew through the paper and unite peacefully without fighting.

It’s a slow and smart way to combine hives and keep the bees calm an

08/11/2025

Checking Sansa’s Colony: What the Brood Pattern Tells
Us:

I talked with my mentor about the brood in Sansa’s split hive, and we agreed the brood pattern looks flat. That’s a good sign, flat brood means healthy worker larvae are developing, which confirms the colony is queenright. Bumpy brood usually means drone larvae, which can be the only brood a laying worker bee produces if there’s no queen.

Even so, I’m planning to check again tomorrow during daylight. I want to see how many frames have brood and try to spot Queen Sansa herself.

Keeping close watch like this helps me make sure the hive stays strong and healthy!

08/11/2025

Quick Hive Check: Colony Khaleesi
• Check if there is honey stored in the super box.
• Take a quick look in the brood box to see if there are larvae or brood.

This helps make sure the bees are storing honey and the queen is laying eggs.

Easy and quick to keep the colony healthy!

08/08/2025

When Bees Kill Their Own Queen

So here’s what happened in one of my hives, and I’m sharing it because many beginner beekeepers go through the same thing:

I did a split from my original hive and gave them some queen cells.
A queen hatched, Then she swarmed (left with some bees).
So I added some brood from the original hive to give them a chance to raise another queen or have some nursey bees when the queen arrives, I placed another queen.
But guess what? They killed her.

At this point, I didn’t have extra brood or money to buy another queen. The colony is queenless again, and I had to decide: let it die or combine it back with the original hive.

So Why Would Bees Kill a Queen When They Need One?

Sounds dumb, right? But here’s why it happens:

-Wrong smell : If the queen’s pheromones aren’t strong or familiar, the bees might not recognize her as their leader.
-They thought they had better options : When you add brood, bees may start making their own queen and see a new one as a threat.
-Laying workers : If they’ve been queenless too long, some workers start laying eggs and the colony acts like it already has a queen.
-Stress : Small, weak, or queenless colonies panic and don’t always make the smartest decisions.

Don’t rush to add a queen if they’re raising their own.
Always check for queen cells first.
A small queenless hive is risky sometimes it’s best to combine it back with the original hive.

Beekeeping is full of surprises, and bees don’t always do what we expect. But every mistake teaches us something. Keep learning and don’t give up.

08/02/2025

Queenless… Again.

Well, after giving it my best shot, the split is queenless again.

I had placed a marked queen (Sansa 💙) into the split after swapping in fresh brood to keep the colony going while I waited for her arrival. After 3 days, I removed the cage and hoped for the best. But 10 days later, when I inspected the frames… no queen, no eggs, no larvae. Just a quiet, queenless colony.

I’ve already tried giving them frames with fresh eggs multiple times before, hoping they’d raise a queen on their own but it hasn’t worked.

Right now, I’m still thinking about recombining the split with the original hive, which is doing well with brood and larvae. It’s hard to let go after investing time and care, but it may be the best option to keep the bees from fading out completely.

Beekeeping isn’t always wins and honey it’s patience, loss, learning, and adjusting. Every setback still teaches something.