One of my colonies is dying :(

[canterbury_keeper]

So went for my weekly check, hoping to put a super on hive 1 (my slower of the two hives).

Hive 2 is going great guns, they're almost ready for a second super. I didn't do a full inspection because I pissed them off trying to straighten some of the comb in the super....

Anyway - Hive 1. No queen. No eggs. No larva. No queen cells. Visibly less bees. Loads of stores :| And a couple of wax moth larva.

Is there anything I can do? Is it worth getting a new queen? Or are they too far gone.

Marc

 

[beehive1234]

Tip the bees out on the ground in front of your good hive. Clean out and restore the failed hive. Next year or perhaps this year divide the strong colony and set it up again.

 

[drex]

All depends how many bees left. No uncapped larvae means queen went AWOL 8-9 days ago. No capped brood means she left 3 weeks ago. Weekly inspections?
Could try a test frame from good hive. Are the bees looking healthy?

 

[canterbury_keeper]

All depends how many bees left. No uncapped larvae means queen went AWOL 8-9 days ago. No capped brood means she left 3 weeks ago. Weekly inspections?
Could try a test frame from good hive. Are the bees looking healthy?

Yes - I do weekly inspections. I noted eggs two weeks ago, last week not, but I put that down to my inexperience.

They've always been a bit meh - sluggish I guess? The second have have always been fiesty.

There is sealed brood.

 

[REDWOOD]

buy a queen, wax moth can be removed manually

 

[Bosleeu]

Yep get a queen.

 

[canterbury_keeper]

Yep get a queen.

I'll see if I can get one from my supplier. Feeling very sad, like I've let them down. Silly I know.

M

 

[drex]

don't worry. Live and learn from it. Move on. You will only but be a better beekeeper for the experience.
If you are like me you will continue to make many more mistakes - as in my recent post in " what did you do in the apiary today".

 

[pargyle]

It's not the mistakes that you make that are important ... it's learning from them that's important. Ask any (honest) beekeeper what mistakes they have made ... then make sure you have a comfortable seat and a long drink ....

Nothing to beat yourself up about ... more about the bees than your beekeeping I would suggest.

 

[REDWOOD]

It's not the mistakes that you make that are important ... it's learning from them that's important. Ask any (honest) beekeeper what mistakes they have made ... then make sure you have a comfortable seat and a long drink ....

Nothing to beat yourself up about ... more about the bees than your beekeeping I would suggest.

Don't you mean get P!$$ed

 

[pargyle]

Don't you mean get P!$$ed

He would be after listening to my catalogue of mistakes.... several long drinks long ... and some ....

 

[canterbury_keeper]

Thanks guys - going to see if anyone can sell me a queen tomorrow.

 

[Bosleeu]

I'll see if I can get one from my supplier. Feeling very sad, like I've let them down. Silly I know.

M

The bees keep us humble, that's for sure. Fact is you obviously care about your bees, and it is quite possible that it's all down to the bees themselves, nothing to do with you. Good luck.

And, get p£ssed as suggested.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Why not add some eggs from the strong colony? Good, known locally viable genes. You'll not get a crop from the weak colony anyway so invest a bit of time and patience and feel the joy of raising your own queen. Actually not even that much time with a bit of luck; adding a Q is fraught and takes time.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why not add some eggs from the strong colony?

An idea - but if the colony is weak, do you really want to wait another month for a queen to emerge and get laying, then another three weeks for the first lot of workers to emerge? - that four weeks could be the difference between the colony building up or dwindling to nothing

 

[Pendragon]

I was in similar position earlier. I added some sealed almost ready to emerge brood from the strong hive and then added a bought queen. They are both going well now.

 

[Bates]

Best advice as above

 

[drstitson]

"I noted eggs two weeks ago, last week not, but I put that down to my inexperience."

eggs tells you queen is present and laying (give or take a day or two).

brood ratio - eggs : open : capped - also gives you an idea of how things are going.

if you can't see eggs and the open:capped ratio is off then you know a bit more.

 

[itma]

...

Anyway - Hive 1. No queen. No eggs. No larva. No queen cells. Visibly less bees. Loads of stores :| And a couple of wax moth larva.
…

Yes - I do weekly inspections. I noted eggs two weeks ago, last week not, but I put that down to my inexperience.

They've always been a bit meh - sluggish I guess? The second have have always been fiesty.

There is sealed brood.

I'm wondering what happened to the Q (if she ain't there now), and the Queen Cells (whether swarm or emergency) that would have been made if there really were eggs in the colony when she departed (in whatever sense of the word).
But the OP makes no reference whatsoever to QCs …


I'm also wondering how healthy this "bit meh - sluggish I guess" colony might have been. I wouldn't be rushing to spend money on a new Q for a questionable colony.