Preparing for a new queen?

[RoseCottage]

Morning all,
Did a check on 4 of our 5 colonies yesterday (left the nastiest alone at the moment). All doing ok but one is producing a lot more drone brood than the others. Also producing worker brood too mind.

It's just the proportion of drone is much higher than the other hives.

Might the colony be prepping to replace the queen? She is a couple of years old I believe...certainly she arrived in a swarm last year.

All the best,
Sam

 

[drstitson]

Just a more mature colony/brood nest.

2nd full season so likely to be wanting/able to swarm.

 

[MJBee]

You may well be right Sam. I had a colony a couple of years ago where the ratio of worker to drone brood went wrong, the queen was failing and they superceded her. Watch for queen a cell on the center /towards the top of the frames rather than multiple swarm cells and if you find one let them get on with it.