Aaaaaargh. What to do...

[WingCommander]

Just been down to inspect for the first time in a few weeks, partly due to weather and partly business. I have 3 hives.

Hive 1: Was formerly super busy, extracted 30lbs of honey a few weeks ago, did artificial swarm after seeing a QC and have left for 3 weeks to ensure new queen born. Current status: Multiple queen cells. 1 sealed, 3 or 4 open. No sign of a queen. Less bees than there should be so definite swarm. Loads of drones. Left as is for the remaining QC to open and hope it recovers...

Hive 2: Artificial swarm from Hive 1 c.3 weeks ago. Still only activity on 2 frames in the NUC. Starting to draw comb v. slowly on 3rd frame. Left to get on with it.

Hive 3: This was one I put a mail order queen in last year that has been super slow to get going and has the worlds laziest/most docile bees - no honey at all laid down this year. There is brood but the bees seem to just sit there most of the time. Saw Queen. Also saw 2 open QC but lots of bees would indicate no swarm yet.. Not sure what to do.

I considered squishing the queen in Hive 3 and putting the 2 frames from Hive 2 in. I also considered just squishing the queen on the assumption that there are two virgin queens in there somewhere. Any suggestions welcome!

 

[Vortex]

Need more info on Hive 3 .. how many frames ELB?
By Open QC do you mean hatched or charged?
By "bees just sit there" do you mean stay on the frames and shake or move about normally but remain on the frames .. Have you any Shiny bees? The shake and shiny symptoms are both elements of CBPV .. I've lost 2 colonies this post winter this year and one is definitely attributable to CBPV.

 

[WingCommander]

Hive 3: The bees just don't do a lot. My other hives I inspect with gloves on, this one without. They don't move around nearly as much as any of the other bees - in fact they don't move much at all and if they do its very slow. The queen is wandering around but not the rest of them. There were a few flying and a few flew up when I knocked a frame but generally just very very sluggish.

The QCs were both hatched.

 

[WingCommander]

I didn't notice any 'shiny' bees but can revisit and check.

 

[Eyeman]

Hi Hives 1&2 sound like you didn't go back to check for emergency QC's in the queenless split or left more than I QC and this has now swarmed.
The Queen right half of the AS - are there eggs/ young larvae suggesting the Q is still laying? Is this colony on the original site as I would have expected it to have acquired all the flying bees and be more populous.

 

[Tremyfro]

Hive 3: The bees just don't do a lot. My other hives I inspect with gloves on, this one without. They don't move around nearly as much as any of the other bees - in fact they don't move much at all and if they do its very slow. The queen is wandering around but not the rest of them. There were a few flying and a few flew up when I knocked a frame but generally just very very sluggish.

The QCs were both hatched.

Perhaps they have nosema? This was like my colony ...then I treated them...now they are on double brood boxes!

 

[oliver90owner]

I'm not sure what relevance a nuc hive has in relation to an A/S.

Hive No1 likely swarmed as a cast, so now still has a virgin queen in residence? There is no chance that that last queen cell is viable, I would expect.

Is hive No3 superceding? Workers fed up with their present queen?

There are rarely two queens in a hive for long (unless mother and daughter) - and certainly not loose virgins. They would cast swarm or fight it out.

In the light of the suggestions given, have some more thoughts on what might have been, or is, happening, is my suggestion. And don't leave them long before inspecting again - you may note more changes to give you more clues of their intentions.

 

[WingCommander]

I concede that I should have checked for other QCs in Hive 1 - that is purely my bad. I didn't see a queen in H1, having left the QC in situ as assumed that they had cast out and left that QC as the viable queen. I will inspect again tomorrow to find out.

It's probably worth treating H3 for Nosema anyway, just to be sure. They shouldn't be superceding as the queen was purchased new last year.

H2 is on the original site but I think that as it is a NUC (poly) and the other hive is nearby they have just gone back to the other one. I will inspect more thoroughly tomorrow.

Feel like the world's worst beekeeper!

 

[WingCommander]

Here is a link to a short video I took earlier of the lazy bees in Hive 3....

https://www.facebook.com/chris.parsons.5070276/posts/10153472622176371

 

[madasafish]

Here is a link to a short video I took earlier of the lazy bees in Hive 3....

https://www.facebook.com/chris.parsons.5070276/posts/10153472622176371

My placid bees are like that.

 

[Vortex]

My placid bees are like that.

Can't see anything wrong on that frame..