Bees are not bringing pollen

[john1]

Hi,
In one of my hives bees are not bringing in any pollen.
I can see in the other one, bees are going out and bringing pollen.

So, I opened the one where bees do not bring pollen and could spot the queen.
The queen is there in the hive. But, there was no eggs.

Compare to the other hive bees are very less in this one where the bees do not bring pollen.

Any idea what could be the reason.
Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A myriad reasons. Bees will bring in pollen regardless of whether there is a laying queen, but their reluctance to do so when there is a queen, and the fact there is no brood when at this time of year she should be laying like a train suggests that the queen is a dud. Are they bringing any nectar in? maybe you have a nosemic queen, if so, no hope really, you are better off decorating a gatepost with her and uniting the colony with another

 

[john1]

May be I have make a split from the other hive with some brood (when there is a brood) and then unite with this hive (hive with bad queen). Once it is united remove the existing queen, hoping the bees will raise a new queen using the brood.

 

[jeff33]

May be I have make a split from the other hive with some brood (when there is a brood) and then unite with this hive (hive with bad queen). Once it is united remove the existing queen, hoping the bees will raise a new queen using the brood.

Why would you go through the bother of making a split out of your good hive , weakening it in the process, when you can directly unite with your current hive at 1st full inspection? If you want 2 hives, unite both at 1st inspection and when the hive is really strong towards the middle/end of May, split it.
With your suggestion, you wouldn't be able to split until early May which is the earliest they would raise a queen and unite until the end of May once she has mated and is established.....in the meantime your duff hive will not be salvageable with no new bees being raised.

 

[john1]

Thank you so much

I was wondering when we expect to see brood. Is it in April. If it is in May then should I wait until May (like @jeff33 mentioned by that time bees will not be there in the bad hive).

If I am uniting what is the easiest way - should I keep a paper with a hole above the brood of the good hive and then keep the bad brood on top of it after removing the existing queen of the bad brood?

Thanks

 

[ericbeaumont]

should I keep a paper with a hole above the brood of the good hive and then keep the bad brood on top of it after removing the existing queen of the bad brood?

Yes, but no hole is necessary. In fact, if you make a hole too big the bees will unite too quickly and fight.

As Jeff said: unite now and wait until early summer, when the colony will be strong in bees and brood, and most importantly, plenty of mature drones will be about.

 

[jeff33]

I was wondering when we expect to see brood

I don't understand what you mean by expecting to see brood. All the queens are now laying well with the spring (sort of) started.
If you say your queen is not laying now, she certainly won't be next month or in May, she is useless and needs to go.
If I was you I would wait until it's warm enough to do a full inspection on both hives and see what is what. If you don't know what to look for (I don't just mean see eggs or larvae) can you ask someone with a bit more experience to have a look with you?

Unite is easy. Queenless hive on the bottom (you must remove the poor queen, don't let them sort it out themselves), newspaper, queen excluder and hive with the queen on top. Leave for a week before you look into the hive

 

[Amari]

The queen is there in the hive. But, there was no eggs.

No eggs - and no larvae or capped brood I assume?

 

[john1]

No eggs - and no larvae or capped brood I assume?

Yes, none of the above.
I can see some honey, may be from before the winter.

 

[john1]

Unite is easy. Queenless hive on the bottom (you must remove the poor queen, don't let them sort it out themselves), newspaper, queen excluder and hive with the queen on top. Leave for a week before you look into the hive

How about the entrance? Should I leave keep the entrance of both brood boxes open?

I have a super with some honey in the good hive (kept it before the winter), should I keep it on top, just below the roof?

In the newspaper, should I not make any hole at all? Will the bees make the hole and try to pass through?
Thanks,

 

[ericbeaumont]

In the newspaper, should I not make any hole at all?

No.

Will the bees make the hole and try to pass through?

Yes.

 

[jeff33]

How about the entrance? Should I leave keep the entrance of both brood boxes open?

There won't be any entrance in the top box, you don't unite with the floor on. Entrance is through the floor, not the box.

 

[ericbeaumont]

super with some honey in the good hive ... should I keep it on top, just below the roof?

No, unless the queenright colony is light, in which case give it to them. Otherwise, extract the super and wait to put it back when spring nectar comes in.

If you want bees to empty a super give it to them in a dearth - no nectar coming in and bees hungry - or at the end of summer when the nest contracts. Won't work now as colonies are expanding and nectar is trickling in.

 

[Murox]

How about the entrance? Should I leave keep the entrance of both brood boxes open?

 

[john1]

If you want bees to empty a super give it to them in a dearth - no nectar coming in and bees hungry - or at the end of summer when the nest contracts. Won't work now as colonies are expanding and nectar is trickling in.

I do not want to use the honey from the super.
I prefer the bees to use it as it may be from the sugar syrup I gave them before the winter.

Is it ok, if I leave the super on top of the broods (united broods) and feed them immediately after the split in the end of May?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I do not want to use the honey from the super.
I prefer the bees to use it as it may be from the sugar syrup I gave them before the winter.

Is it ok, if I leave the super on top of the broods (united broods) and feed them immediately after the split in the end of May?

why would you want to feed them if they already have a super of stores on?
Unite as demonstrated (maybe just punch a few small holes in the newspaper) Decide which hive is staying in the same position (I would go for the queenright one) put a queen excluder over the queenright colony, then the super with stores, then a sheet of newspaper on top of the super, kill the dud queen, put the Q- colony on top, then leave them sort themselves out

 

[john1]

Thank you so much all

 

[ericbeaumont]

leave the super on top of the broods (united broods) and feed them immediately after the split in the end of May?

If the super has sugar syrup in it, extract it now and save it as feed during the season or at the end. Add a teaspoonful of thymol mixture to prevent fermentation.

The empty super will be needed soon for the spring nectar flow.

 

[john1]

Thanks @ericbeaumont

 

[john1]

Instead of uniting the hives, how about if I -

- remove the queen from the week colony where queen does not lay egg and
- get two brood frames from the good colony with eggs and larva and put them in the bad colony hoping they will raise a new queen?

If that is not a good idea then how about get a few bees from the good colony and unite them with the bad colony?

I don't want to unite the entire bad colony with a good colony.

Thanks