Help! Where's my queen gone????

[shane]

Hi all, i have a really big problem. I have a hive which seems healthy enough. Lots of bees lots of honey. But the biggest problem is the queen has disapeared. It does not seem that the colony has swarmed as the hive is still loaded with bees. Also no queen cells. And the bees have not tried to raise a new queen, i guess the brood is too far developed to produce a new queen.
The only problem i can see is a little too much wax moth, which has now been treated. It's a mystery, can anyone help? Has anyone else had this problem? I'm going to purchase a new queen rather than try to raise one from my other 2 hives (fresh blood needed).
Hope you can help a bee keeper in need. Many thanks, Shane.

 

[Black Comb]

Any eggs or open brood?

 

[xgeordie]

Add a test frame first - you need to be sure you are Q-

p.s. how did you treat the wax moth?

 

[drstitson]

is your problem just that you can't FIND the queen? the hive is at it's peak population just now so not surprising. can you see E&BIAS?

 

[richardbees]

drstitson

.."E&BIAS"

Still a bit new to this forum so just guessing - is that "eggs and brood in all stages"

rich

 

[xgeordie]

Yes

 

[shane]

Nope, no eggs and no larvae. only capped brood.

 

[Winker]

Nope, no eggs and no larvae. only capped brood.

Your Queen must still be there, but off laying. If you lost your queen for any given reason the colony would know with in hours and start to build QC with the eggs that were there before the queen left/died/whatever

Edit: or you missed the spupercedure cell that was in there and you have a virgin queen waiting to mate. Stick a test frame with egg on it into the hive to be sure

 

[drstitson]

"Stick a test frame with egg on it into the hive to be sure"

winker - are you a messy eater or is this a specific instruction? do you mean a frame with eggs in it?

 

[Winker]

"Stick a test frame with egg on it into the hive to be sure"

winker - are you a messy eater or is this a specific instruction? do you mean a frame with eggs in it?

funny you should say that, as i was eating while typing that. But i see where your comming.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Shane,
Yes I have seen the problem - it goes along with early supercedure. The queen may be there but not laying; check brood pattern - see if polished cells appear where the brood should be - as old brood emerges. If polished cells then she is most likely there. She may lay a little more but she will need to be replaced.

As has suggested, check with a frame with eggs from another hive. You'll need to find the queen before introduction of another of course.

 

[richardbees]

ta, geordie