Is the queen fed and supported right to the end.

[Garry R]

AS the result of a chat with someone in our Division I thought that I would ask here. A queen can die/be killed for a number of reasons but what about starvation. Would a viable queen be supported and fed by the colony for as long as possible until all /most of the workers have died and the colony is defunct. I realise that when the workers have depleted to a certain point the temperature may have dropped too low for her and she may die before the last few workers. Any thoughts?

 

[fian]

AS the result of a chat with someone in our Division I thought that I would ask here. A queen can die/be killed for a number of reasons but what about starvation. Would a viable queen be supported and fed by the colony for as long as possible until all /most of the workers have died and the colony is defunct. I realise that when the workers have depleted to a certain point the temperature may have dropped too low for her and she may die before the last few workers. Any thoughts?

Verified facts.
1. In shipments made to beekeepers go the queen and no more than 5 workers.
2. I have reached January with the queen and no more than thirty workers.
3. If the queen dies, the workers take food and fly to the nearest hive.
In short, everything is in the environmental conditions.

 

[elainemary]

AS the result of a chat with someone in our Division I thought that I would ask here. A queen can die/be killed for a number of reasons but what about starvation. Would a viable queen be supported and fed by the colony for as long as possible until all /most of the workers have died and the colony is defunct. I realise that when the workers have depleted to a certain point the temperature may have dropped too low for her and she may die before the last few workers. Any thoughts?

Yes, I believe the queen is kept supported right to the end. I had a horrible experience once, completely my fault, I moved a hive a short distance but I completely forgot to remove the varroa tray over night, after I closed them up. Never again. Many bees died even though the night was cool and I discovered my mistake very early the next day, due to over heating, but the queen was fine. I moved her to a nuc with the surviving bees and added further brood and bees from other colonies. She survived and started re-laying soon afterwards. The survival instinct is very strong in a colony and from this experience, I believe the bees will protect the queen from death right til the end.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Verified facts

verified by whom?

If the queen dies, the workers take food and fly to the nearest hive

 

[Michael Palmer]

Verified facts.
1. In shipments made to beekeepers go the queen and no more than 5 workers.

Why maximum of 5 workers per queen? I use 9 and have excellent shipping

 

[GuyNir]

Verified facts.
1. In shipments made to beekeepers go the queen and no more than 5 workers.
2. I have reached January with the queen and no more than thirty workers.
3. If the queen dies, the workers take food and fly to the nearest hive.
In short, everything is in the environmental conditions.

workers will stay in their hive without a queen. That’s all they know.

 

[fian]

Why maximum of 5 workers per queen? I use 9 and have excellent shipping

Five or nine is still the same, it is the fact (the bees are citizens of their queen regardless of their number).

 

[fian]

workers will stay in their hive without a queen. That’s all they know.

Regarding the latter, I would say that it depends on the external conditions, it is true that in times of flow the hive would become rutted, remaining in the hive, but in winter and without a queen I doubt this very categorical statement. Any scientific study that has submitted the test?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Regarding the latter, I would say that it depends on the external conditions, it is true that in times of flow the hive would become rutted, remaining in the hive, but in winter and without a queen I doubt this very categorical statement. Any scientific study that has submitted the test?

I'm sure nobody could be bothered with such a trivial study but in every case I can remember encountering, queenless colonies just dwindle within the hive.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm sure nobody could be bothered with such a trivial study but in every case I can remember encountering, queenless colonies just dwindle within the hive.

and it doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter

Any scientific study that has submitted the test?

do you have any to support your claims

All I can see are three wild, unverified and dubious claims

 

[fian]

and it doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter

do you have any to support your claims

All I can see are three wild, unverified and dubious claims

None, that assumes they are the same as yours. Therefore, extracting a generalized practice from observations and punctual behaviors is very daring (valid for both?)

 

[GuyNir]

FIan, can you explain laying workers then?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

do you have any to support your claims

None

Thought not

 

[Blunt Spike]

Verified facts.

3. If the queen dies, the workers take food and fly to the nearest hive.
In short, everything is in the environmental conditions.

If that was a fact we shouldn't see Q- colonies (just empty hives) nor any laying workers because they'd have all have absconded. Are you perhaps talking about making splits and an issue arises causing the nuc to be queenless as soon as they're split? I know they can and do abscond under those conditions but even then not all of them leave.