Hive got through 5 queens in a season

[Zante]

They seem to have calmed down now, but I was wondering what people here think of it.

It is one of the hives at the teaching apiary where I'm being mentored. They just kept raising one quees after another and superseding as soon as she starts laying.

Now they seem happy with her as she hasn't been replaced yet (fingers crossed)

Does anyone know what was going on?

 

[Hivemaker.]

They seem to have calmed down now, but I was wondering what people here think of it.

It is one of the hives at the teaching apiary where I'm being mentored

What do those who are teaching you say the reason is?

 

[Zante]

He's not sure. It's a swarm that was hived last year, and this was its first full season. They aren't very nice to work with, although they seem to have settled with queen number five, they weren't too bad yesterday.

The theory is that they didn't come too well out of winter and struggled to start properly with this bad season, and now they have finally managed to settle. Possibly the handling from mentees hasn't helped, but it has been handled very little by us, mostly because most of the time it was left alone to raise their new queen.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The theory is that they didn't come too well out of winter and struggled to start properly with this bad season

Could be Nosema ceranae, which can also cause bees to keep superseding their queen.

 

[For want of a better word]

Bad mating... or lead poisoning?

Yeghes da

 

[Zante]

Could be Nosema ceranae, which can also cause bees to keep superseding their queen.

All four previous queens nosemic? Is that likely?

Bad mating... or lead poisoning?

Lead poisoning is unlikely as they're on a farm (even if in the city), but even then, four in a season? The same goes for bad mating, how likely is it four times in a row, with the hive density in London?

Not being confrontational, either (or both even) might be right, I'm genuinely asking.

 

[Michael Palmer]

I think I would re-queen with a different stock.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All four previous queens nosemic? Is that likely?

very - it will just linger around in the colony until someone does something about it

 

[Zante]

very - it will just linger around in the colony until someone does something about it

Hmm... I'll bring it up at the next session.

 

[nantmoel]

We had a hive last year that did something very similar. We introduced a new Bucky and she lasted about 6 weeks, they replaced her with one of their own. Then she lasted about 3 weeks and they replaced her, they did this right up until the beginning of October. They finally had a queen going into the winter, they were fine in early spring but then died out. I never thought it could be Nosema, I wonder if it was.