Brood all hatched, what now?

[Nuc]

Hi folks, just checked my 2 hives properly for the first time in a month due to really carp weather. One hive doing great and in need of a super, the other one which was ok a month ago with brood in all stages now has no brood or eggs. The queen looks fine and lots of empty cells being polished. Enough stores to last for a week or two though i have been feeding them with syrup. Plenty of bees as well, busy bringing in pollen. The queen may have gone off lay due to the weather but i dont know how long to give her to start laying again. I don't know what strain she is either as i bought her last autumn as a newly mated and locally reared queen. How long should i give her before either trying a frame of eggs or re-queening ? Thanks, Nuc.

 

[Juststarting]

I shouldnt worry too much, I checked my five hives and had no sealed brood in any compared with much across 8 frames in each 3 wks ago. I did have eggs and vey young (5day old) larva in them all so the queens must have stopped laying and have just started again in the last few days. This also coincides with me feeding neopoll.

So I'd leave it till the next warm dry day (could be a while before we get another) and check again then. In the meantime continue to keep an eye on stores.

Where abouts in the peaks are? Are your hives at altitude or more sheltered?

 

[stoneleighhouse]

derbyshire also similarly i have one hive moving like the clappers now doubleb rood 8/9 frames of brood .. the other one few bees no brood added a frame of brood 10 days ago from the stronger hive still no sign of queen laying loads of stores no queen cells no sign of varroa or anything else just seem lethargic and indifferent

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If the queen is in there, it's quite possible that queen cells won't be raised even if she is duff. With forage coming in we assume, then she should start soon. The bad weather is not an encouragement to egg laying.

I have had some in the past (not this year) where the queens just stop laying and remain in the hive or just disappear. Unfortunately they must hang around the hive for a few days before they disappear which means the colony doesn't have the opportunity to make a queencell.

 

[Finman]

Plenty of bees as well, busy bringing in pollen. .

I am quite sure that the queen is sick and has stopped laying. I have had sthose cases iin spring.

Once I had a hive which stopped laying.
Then I gove another it happened the same.
Third queen succeed to lay.

I suppose that it is nosema which spoils sometimes a queen.
An abdomen is swollen but nothing comes out.

Now two things... Give a oxalic acid trickling.

You have a nuc. Join it to the big hive.

We can only hope that the new queen does not get sick.

.

 

[enrico]

Disagree finman..... Give her a couple of weeks at least. Queens DO go off lay but that doesn't mean illness every time. Given our cold weather I think all our queens are a bit sluggish.
E

 

[Nuc]

Thanks for replies. I am fairly high in the peak district (900-1000 feet)but the hives are sheltered and the other colony is doing well although it has been stronger since last year. The weather has been pants which could be the reason. Nice to know she is not the only one though. Will give her another week, then re-queen if no egg laying action. Certainly no sign of varroa and have treated for it during the winter. Also gave them thymol syrup last autumn which they took well. No other sign of weakness so i'll wait and see for a week. Cheers.

 

[Swarm]

I'd follow Enrico's advice, it's been anything but normal for quite a few weeks.

 

[Finman]

Disagree finman..... Give her a couple of weeks at least. Queens DO go off lay but that doesn't mean illness every time. Given our cold weather I think all our queens are a bit sluggish.
E

"she has not layed for 3 weeks and you are going to wait 3 weeks more.
Yoy disagree and you may wait the whole summer. it is your business.

.

 

[stoneleighhouse]

yes Finman... I instinctively feel that the Queen is sick

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Noticed it a lot this year - due to the weird weather the queen seems to be laying in fits and starts more than once I've seen the frame devoid of capped brood but with eggs - there doesn't seem to be a steady cycle of daily egg laying etc.

 

[stephenpug]

Checked my first and only hive 10 days ago brood in all stages. And drone cells on one end frame just checked them again and I can't find any brood but loads of pollen going in and loads of bees and capped plus uncapped stores am I panicking to soon they all seem happy enough

 

[Finman]

.
Bees stop larva rearing if they have lack of protein/pollen
if they get pollen, they surely have some larvae.

Even if they do not feed larvae, queens lay and there are eggs in couple of combs. To be honest, they are difficult to see.

If bees carry pollen, i cannot see reason why the hive has no brood.

One reason is that bees have a new queen which does not yeat lay. if marked, not then.

Look, does hive has pollen stores in cells?

You have another hive. Give a larva frame from there. Look what they do with it.

 

[drex]

Checked my first and only hive 10 days ago brood in all stages. And drone cells on one end frame just checked them again and I can't find any brood but loads of pollen going in and loads of bees and capped plus uncapped stores am I panicking to soon they all seem happy enough

Brood in all stages 10 days ago and none now???

Workers cells are sealed on 9th day and emerge after 21 days, for drones it is 10 and 24 days.

Think you need to look a bit harder or stop panicking, since otherwise they sound healthy enough. Queens do go off lay in the cold, but even if no eggs you should still have brood after only 10 days

 

[REDWOOD]

I have noticed that my feral bees are balling in the center and my buckfast/cecropia have filled a 14x12 and a super, so I think it could be what strain of bees you have in this unusual weather pattern. The buckfast cecropia are renowned for fast spring build up

 

[Finman]

Brood in all stages 10 days ago and none now???

Workers cells are sealed on 9th day and emerge after 21 days, for drones it is 10 and 24 days.

Think you need to look a bit harder or stop panicking, since otherwise they sound healthy enough. Queens do go off lay in the cold, but even if no eggs you should still have brood after only 10 days

here in cold Finland we have had colder than in Uk. Willow started bloom 4 days ago.

i have 30 hives and every hive has capped brood, except one which did not had a queen.

 

[Nuc]

To be honest there wasn't much pollen in store so from what you all say this is an important influencing factor. Pollen coming in now so will check again in a week and hopefully see some brood. If not i'll order a queen from somewhere but none available locally yet. Might try a buckfast x scottish. Anyone have experience with them ? What queens do you use in Finland Finman ?

 

[tonybloke]

reports of loads of queens slowing down / stopping laying at the moment. probably due to lack of pollen availability

 

[oliver90owner]

Pollen coming in now so will check again in a week and hopefully see some brood.

Only if the pollen collection continues. They cannot suspend the larvae feeding for a few days, it needs to be continuous.

 

[REDWOOD]

here in cold Finland we have had colder than in Uk. Willow started bloom 4 days ago.

i have 30 hives and every hive has capped brood, except one which did not had a queen.

Hi Finman, I don't think it the cold so much but the rain as bees have not been able to get out and collect pollen