First inspection

[JWF]

So first inspection of the year was completed on Saturday. It was a nice and sunny day with no wind and a temperature around 13/14 deg C. the hive is on a brood and a half and was treated with OA dribble around New Year.

The bees were very active, with plenty of pollen going in.

I pulled frames in both the BB and super, and couldn't see any brood or eggs. Stores had been cleared from the central area of the hive, where I'd normally expect to see brood, and it was very clean, but I was unable to see eggs or brood. I didn't see her majesty, but as she is unmarked and I have never managed to see her on previous inspections, this doesn't worry me by itself.

There are still plenty of stores in the outer frames, some of which is set, but the majority is liquid, so I didn't feed on this occasion.

This is my first hive so I haven't got any previous experience to call on, but my concern is that the hive may be Queenless.

I appreciate that there is little that I can do at the moment anyway, due to time of year and lack of availability of replacement queens, so I am planning to sit on my hands and see what happens. Having only 1 hive, I am unable to combine anyway.

The coming week is forecast to be consistently warm, after many weeks of extremely variable weather, and it will probably be the first run of consistently warm days we've had this year (assuming the forecasts are correct!!).

So my plan is wait another week to 10 days, then carry out another inspection to see if there's any brood present then.

Or is there anything else I can do?

Thanks

 

[enrico]

No, you are doing everything right. Be patient, hope for the best, but to be honest I would have expected some brood by now so start thinking about how you are going to deal with the problem, ie, new queen, new hive etc etc. hopefully it will never arise but now is the time to think about what to do if.......
E

 

[Finman]

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It is pretty sure that you cannot find any brood later. If queen is virgin, it makes drone brood.

Sometimes queen becomes sick in winter and stops laying and it may still be in the hive.
Totally queenless acts often so that bees start to ventilate Nasanov's gland open.

Don't be patient. Get a new queen from somewhere or small nuc.

 

[PaulCarroll]

Sadly I think I am in a similar position. Several weeks ago colony was doing well, with hefting showing the hive to be heavy with stores. I took the precaution of giving them some fondant in mid Feb and all looked well. I have just opened them up as this has been the first warm day without a cutting wind. I find no sign of BIAS but lots of uneaten stores. I have loads of deceased ladies on the mesh of the OMF but no sign of HM either amongst the living or the dead. I have another colony who are doing well but do not want to unite as not sure if it was starvation or nosema that has decimated this colony. If it is nosema then the colony cannot survive, but until I am sure all I can do is dummy down the remainining bees as there is no point introducing brood from the other colony as there are no drones around yet. I suspect I can now only unite the remaining girls if nosema is not the problem but for today I can only wait and see. Very disappointing and I wonder if it is poor beekeeping on my part or just the way of the world!!

 

[jonnybeegood]

If it is nosema then the colony cannot survive, but until I am sure all I can do is dummy down the remainining bees as there is no point introducing brood from the other colony as there are no drones around yet.

If you did add brood it would be about 3 weeks until the virgin flies, might you not have drones by then? Maybe there will be drones about from someone else close by? I'm new to this but would it not be worth the risk?

 

[PaulCarroll]

I think it is one of those marginal decisions. I have looked at the dead girls and also those left in the colony and am now fairly sure the cause of this is being unable to access the stores rather than nosema. I will wait a few days before reaching a final decision and may take your advice but either way seems like a hit and hope approach and I would not want to see good brood go to the wall. I guess following the good advice often given on this forum, I need to take time to think what is the best next action!!

 

[Thymallus]

I appreciate that there is little that I can do at the moment anyway, due to time of year and lack of availability of replacement queens, so I am planning to sit on my hands and see what happens. Having only 1 hive, I am unable to combine anyway.

For what it's worth one of my hives showed something similar, although the queen had laid a patch a few weeks ago but currently nowt, no eggs or larvae etc. She is still there and seems fine so hopefully she will start again soon.
I think you are doing the right thing by sitting back, the only thing I can add is to make a thorough inspection (if no eggs etc) for the queen next time you look.. Handy to have a spare brood box and place frames in this as you've looked. Often find hard to spot queens walking about the bottom or on the sides of the box, which you can't easily see unless you've removed all the frames.

 

[Finman]

For what it's worth one of my hives showed something similar, although the queen had laid a patch a few weeks ago but currently nowt, no eggs or larvae etc. She is still there and seems fine so hopefully she will start again soon.
.

I have met quite often queens, which abdomen is swollen, but nothing comes out.
Is it nosema or something else. If queen stops laying during willow blooming, it vain hope that it starts again.

This is nothing new in beekeeping. What helps is that I keep allways spare queen over winter.


Once a huge hive's queen stopped laying and I saw earlier much capped brood there. i took the queen off and I gove another new queen. It stopped too laying. Then a third queen succeeded to make brood normally.

 

[JWF]

Thanks everyone.

One thing I did notice a couple of weeks ago was patches of dark brown cappings under the hive, which I interpreted as coming from hatching brood, along with pale cappings from stores being eaten. I guess she could have started then stopped laying due to the crappy weather???

So I'll be patient and see what the situation is like after a week of warm weather. Fingers crossed!

 

[Finman]

Thanks everyone.

One thing I did notice a couple of weeks ago was patches of dark brown cappings under the hive, which I interpreted as coming from hatching brood, along with pale cappings from stores being eaten. I guess she could have started then stopped laying due to the crappy weather???

So I'll be patient and see what the situation is like after a week of warm weather. Fingers crossed!

The hive stops brood rearing, if its protein stores are finnish. But if others have good brood frames, why your queen has stopped.

Any way, hoping does not help in this case.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The hive stops brood rearing, if its protein stores are finnish. .

That's OK then - only Welsh pollen in my hives

If you did add brood it would be about 3 weeks until the virgin flies, might you not have drones by then? Maybe there will be drones about from someone else close by? I'm new to this but would it not be worth the risk?

The problem is not the chances of mating but timescale - the bees in that hive are very neqr to the end of their lives but we are talking another month or so for the queen to get laying if conditions were ideal, then for that brood to emerge - the existing bees are just not up to the job - even getting a new mated queen in there nowwould be asking a lot IMHO

 

[jonnybeegood]

That's OK then - only Welsh pollen in my hives



The problem is not the chances of mating but timescale - the bees in that hive are very neqr to the end of their lives but we are talking another month or so for the queen to get laying if conditions were ideal, then for that brood to emerge - the existing bees are just not up to the job - even getting a new mated queen in there nowwould be asking a lot IMHO

But if it was a frame of brood added & they made a queen cell out of one, all the other brood on that frame would hatch too, could they not look after the queen, then if she was found to start laying more nurse bees could be added from the other hive? I know its all ifs. & buts & not worth the trouble to most people but if you only have one hive left?

 

[Thymallus]

But if it was a frame of brood added & they made a queen cell out of one,

I guess if you've only got one hive you have to ask where the frame of brood might come from. Precious commodity this time of year.

 

[JWF]

A quick update, last night I made up some pollen substitute using the recipe on beebase, and will see if that's made any difference by the weekend.

I have someone who I can ask about a frame of brood, but obviously can't guarantee anything.

 

[Finman]

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Have you willow blooming in Kent?

 

[Nige.Coll]

But if it was a frame of brood added & they made a queen cell out of one, all the other brood on that frame would hatch too, could they not look after the queen, then if she was found to start laying more nurse bees could be added from the other hive? I know its all ifs. & buts & not worth the trouble to most people but if you only have one hive left?

No not really mate.
Queen 16 days workers 21 days. Then the workers need to develop more.
If the over wintered bees manage to hang on it has a small chance of raising a queen that would be poor and probably never mate.
No brood available and not many will want to weaken a colony by giving it away atm . Bad timing . If its your hive there is no such thing as too much trouble.

How many bees are left ? Brood and a half takes some warming.
I would have a damn good look for the queen. Try removing the outer frames with stores and then splitting the remaining frames into groups . The Queen will normally try and stay in the dark. Dont use much smoke either. You might find her between one of the groups of frames.

Its a good sign they have cleared the space but options are limited if she is gone.

 

[Britespark]

I have 4 hives, a quick inspection last week reviled all Qs laying and some drone brood in one hive, so it may not be too early to put a frame of brood into your troubled hive. can't do any harm, that's for sure.

 

[JWF]

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Have you willow blooming in Kent?

Where I am, the willow looks like it is just about to bloom, probably in the next few days given the warm weather.

When I sat and watched the hive, some of the bees are taking pollen in, so they're getting it from somewhere or other.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wonder why more folk don't get out and have a look what's in their area.
One thing I did when I first moved here was to have a good look with the binoculars and get out on the bike and have a look at the local forage, season by season.
I know what's here now.
Somebody on the forum asked how they would know if there was OSR planted near them.......beats me!!!

 

[theeggman]

I wonder why more folk don't get out and have a look what's in their area.
One thing I did when I first moved here was to have a good look with the binoculars and get out on the bike and have a look at the local forage, season by season.
I know what's here now.
Somebody on the forum asked how they would know if there was OSR planted near them.......beats me!!!

OSR is such a secretive crop, it hides away in the field corners so that it can't be seen.