Problems with my Queen

[suechick]

Hello,

I have been checking on my hive and my Queen is there but isn't doing anything. The bees have got everything ready, nice arcs of cells with pollen (lots of it) and stores ready but no eggs or brood.
She is moving around and looks fine!?
I found a queen cup last week but it has gone this week.

I am worried that if I have no up and coming eggs or brood in about a month I will have no bees.

I was initially glad about getting my bees through their first winter, but this doesn't look promising.

Can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks.

 

[drstitson]

just a thought - was the original queen marked?

if not - are you SURE it was a queen cup and not an emerged queen cell? Where was it located. it could be that the bees have decided to supercede and this is a new virgin queen waiting to get mated etc etc.

 

[susbees]

In addition to DrS idea...any young bees in the hive? They look fluffy on the thorax and a bit paler.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[hiveabee]

Hiya, I have got the same problem. I found the Queen today, the brood box has got lots of stored honey and pollen,but no brood or eggs. Last years Queen was marked but this one had no mark on Her. I didnt see any drone brood, and the empty cells have cleaned out nicely. Would this queen be laying drone eggs if She had not been mated? She looked long and healthy and was being attended to by a good lot of bees. Its April now and I thought I should be seeing eggs and brood.

 

[REDWOOD]

When was the last time you seen the marked queen

 

[hiveabee]

Hiya, I saw Her marked 1st week in September during that warm spell. Then I couldnt find her bwhen I did my last check before Autumn. there was eggs and brood though.

 

[REDWOOD]

what did you mark your queen with as there has been problems with the mark rubbing off, if you think it is a new queen was it from last September or is it from now. If it is the latter she will take a while to get going, if it is from September then you have a problem, was she mated properly as there will not be many drones that time of year, although shinny cells indicate that the hive is queen right so keep a close eye for eggs in the next 14 days

 

[hiveabee]

She was marked with a bee marker pen. The beekeeper I got the bees off did this on the day I took the bees. The bees did so well, I didnt take anything off them and went brood and a half because of how full the hive got.( only got them in June). Hope I dont lose them

 

[busybee53]

I read somewhere that the marker pens wear off after a short time. It certainly wore off my queen, and yes I am sure it was the same queen, she still had a clipped wing.

 

[suechick]

hello,
My queen is marked and I have seen her. The queen cup was a cup and didn't elongate as I checked 7 days apart. I have shiny cells waiting for eggs.

I guess I need look for some fluffier bees and/or just wait a week or two.

 

[hiveabee]

I think we should be seeing eggs and brood by now. Dearly hope we are ok

 

[hiveabee]

I still have lots of honey in the hive, I have loads of pollen coming in and a lot stored. I have a Queen, I have nice clean cells under the pollen and capped honey. But I don't Have any Eggs or brood In these cells I am stuck to know what to do.

 

[Midland Beek]

It doesn't matter whether your queen is marked, unmarked, a new one, an old one, or one from outer space ... your bees have had it.

 

[MJBee]

Hi Hiveabee, If you do nothing and your queen does not start laying then as MB says the colony is doomed. However polished cells under an arch of honey and pollen shows that the workers have not given up on your queen and are expecting (hoping) she will start laying soon. Another encouraging sign is that you have no laying workers.

Can you get your hands on a frame of eggs and larvae locally? If you can wrap in a damp towel to get it home and put it in the center of your colony - after 4 days there will be evidence of queen cells if the bees want to supercede your existing queen. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[hiveabee]

Mjbee, Thanks for your advise, will keep you posted.

 

[enrico]

It doesn't matter whether your queen is marked, unmarked, a new one, an old one, or one from outer space ... your bees have had it.

That is harsh! Queens go off lay. Be patient and check again in the next spell of warm weather. Don't give up hope yet. Some of us are less patient than others. Let's see who's right!
E

 

[hiveabee]

Cheers E. I will wait a bit,

 

[suechick]

Hi Hiveabee,
Good luck with your hive, I know how you are feeling at the moment as I am in the same position.
I am not going to worry, I'm going to go and build another hive as I am an optimist.

 

[biglongdarren]

hey ye,i have the same problem with one of my hives,i give them a test frame last week and they didnt draw any queen cells out.
am just gonna close up shop for a few weeks and see what happens.
Darren

 

[suechick]

hey Big long Darren, Did you get to eat that fish?

Perhaps she (the Queen) knew the cold spell was coming and thought better of it.

Sue