1st inspection - lots of bees; no brood/eggs; can't see Queen

[Dolcoath]

My first inspection of the year today (my 1 and only hive). Bees have been quite active for a while so far this spring, some pollen going in, so hopes were high. However, I couldn't see a Queen and there was no brood or eggs. An optimist might say the cells looked polished, but I'm not so sure. The bees were very calm and there are some stores .... have I missed the Queen somehow and if so why is she late in laying? If there isn't a Queen then why so many bees? I'm stumped... advice welcomed.

 

[pargyle]

My first inspection of the year today (my 1 and only hive). Bees have been quite active for a while so far this spring, some pollen going in, so hopes were high. However, I couldn't see a Queen and there was no brood or eggs. An optimist might say the cells looked polished, but I'm not so sure. The bees were very calm and there are some stores .... have I missed the Queen somehow and if so why is she late in laying? If there isn't a Queen then why so many bees? I'm stumped... advice welcomed.

Best advice - stop worrying and leave it a couple of weeks before disturbing them, you had snow up there last week. You are not doing them any favours queen searching at this time of the year -indeed, ANY time of the year unless you really need to find her for some reason. What are you hoping to achieve in your inspection ? What can you do whatever you find that you can't do successfully later ? If they have sufficient stores for the next couple of weeks (and you should not need to tear the hive apart to tell this) then leave them alone .. it's NOT spring yet.

 

[user 819]

Very nice warm sun here today (must be all of 17c) for a change and bees are flying well, no inspections from me yet for another fortnight or so , more wet due all next week according to forecast.

 

[ericbeaumont]

If there isn't a Queen then why so many bees?

Old winter bees laid late last year; they will soon age with work, and the the population will decline in time.

Too early to worry about queenlessness, and if they're without there's not a lot you can do about it, as one colony does not give you the option to give another a frame of young larvae to test for queenlessness. Although Black Mountain Honey had stock recently, it's too early to buy queens and anyway, it would be an expensive way to discover whether there's a slow queen in there or none at all.

Three weeks ago I looked into a quiet nuc; saw what looked like a virgin, no brood at all, two frames of bees and two of stores. Unmated late supersedure, I thought, and decided to chuck them out on a warmer day. Went back this week and found two frames of open brood.

my 1 and only hive

Run two.

 

[enrico]

There's another similar post going, seems you are not the only one!

 

[pargyle]

There's another similar post going, seems you are not the only one!

There's a few on here that seem to think, because one day gives them cause to dig the shorts and t-shirt out of the bottom drawer, that it's mid-summer. Best advice ... stop fiddling about - leave them be. Eric's right - too early to be replacing queens so there is no point worrying about it.

 

[Eyeman]

My only reason to take a peek inside early is if I suspect a dead out. Clear the dead bees off the frames before the. Mould sets in.

 

[Dolcoath]

Best advice - stop worrying and leave it a couple of weeks before disturbing them, you had snow up there last week. You are not doing them any favours queen searching at this time of the year -indeed, ANY time of the year unless you really need to find her for some reason. What are you hoping to achieve in your inspection ? What can you do whatever you find that you can't do successfully later ? If they have sufficient stores for the next couple of weeks (and you should not need to tear the hive apart to tell this) then leave them alone .. it's NOT spring yet.

Thanks. It feels like spring today and I wanted to rearrange the stack (3 supers left on over winter). I'm keeping fingers crossed that I missed her and the prolonged wet has put her off laying.

 

[jarmo henttu]

My first inspection of the year today (my 1 and only hive). Bees have been quite active for a while so far this spring, some pollen going in, so hopes were high. However, I couldn't see a Queen and there was no brood or eggs. An optimist might say the cells looked polished, but I'm not so sure. The bees were very calm and there are some stores .... have I missed the Queen somehow and if so why is she late in laying? If there isn't a Queen then why so many bees? I'm stumped... advice welcomed.

Yeah. You hive dors not have a queen. So simple.

You could get from someshere a piece of comb, which has eggs. Bees start then do queen cells. But not allways at spring.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

3 supers left on over winter

eh?!

 

[Antipodes]

Old winter bees laid late last year; they will soon age with work, and the the population will decline in time.

Too early to worry about queenlessness, and if they're without there's not a lot you can do about it, as one colony does not give you the option to give another a frame of young larvae to test for queenlessness. Although Black Mountain Honey had stock recently, it's too early to buy queens and anyway, it would be an expensive way to discover whether there's a slow queen in there or none at all.

Three weeks ago I looked into a quiet nuc; saw what looked like a virgin, no brood at all, two frames of bees and two of stores. Unmated late supersedure, I thought, and decided to chuck them out on a warmer day. Went back this week and found two frames of open brood.


Run two.

Do you mark your queens?

 

[ericbeaumont]

rearrange the stack (3 supers left on over winter)

eh?!

What reason did you have for leaving on 3 winter supers? Bees will have had great difficulty maintaining nest heat in that vast space, and the loss is likely to have reduced their ability to function normally.

Just remembered: the nuc I mentioned earlier: it had been in a single BB when I first looked at it, so although I was going to chuck it out later, I still put it in a poly nuc, and at the next visit found brood. Better nest thermoregulation & the appearance of brood may be co-incidental, but...

 

[ericbeaumont]

Do you mark your queens?

Mean to, but somehow...

 

[enrico]

Yeah. You hive dors not have a queen. So simple.

You could get from someshere a piece of comb, which has eggs. Bees start then do queen cells. But not allways at spring.

We dont have enough drones for that yet here in UK

 

[jarmo henttu]

We dont have enough drones for that yet here in UK

Sure you have drones. One queen does not need many.

 

[enrico]

Sure you have drones. One queen does not need many.

Yeah, whatever

 

[Dolcoath]

What reason did you have for leaving on 3 winter supers? Bees will have had great difficulty maintaining nest heat in that vast space, and is likely to have reduced their ability to function normally.

Just remembered: the nuc I mentioned earlier: it had been in a single BB when I first looked at it, so although I was going to chuck it out later, I still put it in a poly nuc, and at the next visit found brood. Better nest thermoregulation & the appearance of brood may be co-incidental, but...

It was a recently combined hive, recombined after a split from a newly established colony, if that makes sense. I took no honey off them and all supers had significant stores. A strong population of bees has come through winter, but I take your point.

 

[Dolcoath]

Do you mark your queens?

This one wasn't marked

 

[Antipodes]

This one wasn't marked

Hopefully she'll lay soon. I reckon she will. Can you please let us know what happens.... in due course?

 

[SWEET]

OP - The responses are right, if you are asking for advice on here you should not be digging into hives just yet. But if you have the resources and experience you can sort out these issues -

Dropped in start March, now have open brood. (bit more to it than just dropping in a purchased/imported non-laying Queen though).