First inspection, loads stores and only capped drone cells

[bumble1450]

Hi there,

I've been beekeeping quite a few years but I'm a bit crap at it. I went to put the super on today and was surprised to see a lot of honey and pollen stores. I couldnt find the (unmarked) queen and could only see drone cells (with the raised cappings?). I couldn't eggs but my eyesight isnt great! What should be my next step? I only have the one hive. I am in Fermanagh in Northern Ireland,
Thanks in advance
Sarah

 

[Sutty]

Are the drone cells in worker comb?
Is it in a normal brood pattern or random?

 

[ericbeaumont]

my eyesight isnt great

Solve the problem: ready-readers, head torch, magnifying glass.

What should be my next step?

As above, then establish whether eggs and worker brood are present.

Is this your first check of the season?

 

[bumble1450]

Are the drone cells in worker comb?
Is it in a normal brood pattern or random?

Looks kinda random

 

[bumble1450]

Solve the problem: ready-readers, head torch, magnifying glass.


As above, then establish whether eggs and worker brood are present.

Is this your first check of the season?

Yes I need an urgent trip to the opticians as having some contact lense issues! Yes first inspection actually opening the hive,

Thanks

Sarah

 

[Amari]

Yes I need an urgent trip to the opticians as having some contact lense issues! Yes first inspection actually opening the hive,

Thanks

Sarah

If you have random drone cells but no worker brood then that's the classical sign of drone-laying workers. The colony is doomed and the standard practice is to shake them out - though sadly they'd have nowhere to go as you only have one hive. It's unlikely that introducing a purchased queen would save the situation.
Always best to have at least two colonies!

 

[pargyle]

Hi there,

I've been beekeeping quite a few years but I'm a bit crap at it. I went to put the super on today and was surprised to see a lot of honey and pollen stores. I couldnt find the (unmarked) queen and could only see drone cells (with the raised cappings?). I couldn't eggs but my eyesight isnt great! What should be my next step? I only have the one hive. I am in Fermanagh in Northern Ireland,
Thanks in advance
Sarah

Firstly, don't panic. Did you check for any queen cells ? It's a possibility that the queen has been slimmed down if they were intending to swarm and they are not easy to spot when they are a bit trim. The queen will often (usually) stop laying before they swarm - leaving the drone brood to emerge a little later than the workers.

Alternatively, they may already have swarmed and you have a virgin in there. Check for any queen cells (capped or with the cap removed).

It does sound like there is a queen issue - if it is laying workers you will normally see multiple eggs laid in the cells so you really do need to be able to see eggs - see the recommendations above. What was the colony temperament - they can be a bit tetchy when they are queenless ... not always but it's an indicator.

If they are queenless and there are no eggs then the colony is doome - without a second colony there's not a lot you can do unless you can 'borrow' a frame of eggs (or even a section of comb with eggs on) to give them something to raise a queen from.

It's unusual for them to lose a queen or have one failing and not make some effort to raise a new one so I'd put my money on swarm/swarm preparations as the root cause.

 

[bumble1450]

Firstly, don't panic. Did you check for any queen cells ? It's a possibility that the queen has been slimmed down if they were intending to swarm and they are not easy to spot when they are a bit trim. The queen will often (usually) stop laying before they swarm - leaving the drone brood to emerge a little later than the workers.

Alternatively, they may already have swarmed and you have a virgin in there. Check for any queen cells (capped or with the cap removed).

It does sound like there is a queen issue - if it is laying workers you will normally see multiple eggs laid in the cells so you really do need to be able to see eggs - see the recommendations above. What was the colony temperament - they can be a bit tetchy when they are queenless ... not always but it's an indicator.

If they are queenless and there are no eggs then the colony is doome - without a second colony there's not a lot you can do unless you can 'borrow' a frame of eggs (or even a section of comb with eggs on) to give them something to raise a queen from.

It's unusual for them to lose a queen or have one failing and not make some effort to raise a new one so I'd put my money on swarm/swarm preparations as the root cause.

Thanks so much for your helpful and much more hopeful reply! There were threee queen cups but no actual cells. The colony was really lovely and calm too. Maybe there is hope yet. Its been raining a lot here so havent had a chance to inspect again but will do asap,

Thanks again, Sarah

 

[Aneebe]

Hi there,

I've been beekeeping quite a few years but I'm a bit crap at it. I went to put the super on today and was surprised to see a lot of honey and pollen stores. I couldnt find the (unmarked) queen and could only see drone cells (with the raised cappings?). I couldn't eggs but my eyesight isnt great! What should be my next step? I only have the one hive. I am in Fermanagh in Northern Ireland,
Thanks in advance
Sarah

 

[Aneebe]

Hi Sarah, I wear glasses with the start of cataracts (beyond annoying) so my tip would be to use your phone camera set to enlarge. It can make all the difference when you are not sure re seeing eggs. Good luck but maybe think about sourcing a nuc/ ask around if you can afford it as a back up. Time's ticking and that all sounds a bit dodgy although I hope not.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Yes I need an urgent trip to the opticians as having some contact lense issues!

No need to go to the optician for this. Buy a range of cheap reading glasses (they are available in 1.0-3.5 dioptres). Sometimes they only cost a pound or two.

 

[Sutty]

A small torch helps too!
I'm not as good a spotting eggs as I used to be (I wonder why? ) but a torch helps especially in dark comb.
Also much easier to see that there are eggs than to see there aren't!
I keep meaning to try my UV torch but I've mislaid it.

 

[bumble1450]

No need to go to the optician for this. Buy a range of cheap reading glasses (they are available in 1.0-3.5 dioptres). Sometimes they only cost a pound or two.

Its a wee bit more complicated than that as I have a lens in for short sight and one for long, but its not really working well enough now, so yes it'll be a new prescription for short sightedness plus reading glass in the end. That, or very expensive varifocal contacts!

 

[Sutty]

Its a wee bit more complicated than that as I have a lens in for short sight and one for long, but its not really working well enough now, so yes it'll be a new prescription for short sightedness plus reading glass in the end. That, or very expensive varifocal contacts!

I have "monovision" uncorrected short sight in one eye (good for close up stuff) and a contact lens in the other for distance. The brain sorts it out & you are not aware which eye you are using at any given moment.
I got my optician to make up reading glasses to correct both for fine close work (seeing eggs) so I just put the glasses on with the one contact lens in. It works well for me.

 

[alancooper]

Good advice from Pargyle - especially the ‘ticking clock’. There are a lot of swarms locally and much swarm preparation in colonies.

 

[ericbeaumont]

been raining a lot here so havent had a chance to inspect again

Don't let rain put you off, Sarah, unless heavy. Bees object to wind but can tolerate light showers and drizzle. Do you have access to a golfing umbrella, the sort to stick in the ground?

 

[Antipodes]

A small torch helps too!
I'm not as good a spotting eggs as I used to be (I wonder why? ) but a torch helps especially in dark comb.
Also much easier to see that there are eggs than to see there aren't!
I keep meaning to try my UV torch but I've mislaid it.

Sutty, can you explain about the UV torch please? I heard recently that our scorpion here will light up with a UV light.

http://www.tasmanianspiders.info/S001.htm

 

[Sutty]

Sutty, can you explain about the UV torch please? I heard recently that our scorpion here will light up with a UV light.

http://www.tasmanianspiders.info/S001.htm

I think eggs are quite likely to fluoresce under UV which might make them easy to spot. I'll try it when I find the torch!

 

[Antipodes]

I think eggs are quite likely to fluoresce under UV which might make them easy to spot. I'll try it when I find the torch!

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threa...of those cheapie (and,white LED to achieve it.

 

[bumble1450]

Firstly, don't panic. Did you check for any queen cells ? It's a possibility that the queen has been slimmed down if they were intending to swarm and they are not easy to spot when they are a bit trim. The queen will often (usually) stop laying before they swarm - leaving the drone brood to emerge a little later than the workers.

Alternatively, they may already have swarmed and you have a virgin in there. Check for any queen cells (capped or with the cap removed).

It does sound like there is a queen issue - if it is laying workers you will normally see multiple eggs laid in the cells so you really do need to be able to see eggs - see the recommendations above. What was the colony temperament - they can be a bit tetchy when they are queenless ... not always but it's an indicator.

If they are queenless and there are no eggs then the colony is doome - without a second colony there's not a lot you can do unless you can 'borrow' a frame of eggs (or even a section of comb with eggs on) to give them something to raise a queen from.

It's unusual for them to lose a queen or have one failing and not make some effort to raise a new one so I'd put my money on swarm/swarm preparations as the root cause.

OK so another inspection. Turns out I'm not as blind as I thought. There are no eggs. Not one! Lots drones and some capped drone cells and developing larvae. Pics attached. Not sure whats going on, are they raising a queen? If so, what stops the workers starting to lay??