Queen has disappeared - is ther anywhere I can get a mated queen for replacement?

[Ulsterfry]

Today, on examining the hive I could not find any trace of a queen. My original queen swarmed in mid-August, leaving 2 queen cells. OK I thought, I'll leave well enough alone and the bees will sort it out. Today it is evident that both queen cells hatched, but there is absolutely no sign of queen, eggs or larvae. All former larvae have hatched and the hive has a good population, a super full of honey and plenty of pollen.

What would your advice be? Can I get a mated queen so late in the season for introduction?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[Ulsterfry]

One more thing... I have just removed the Apiguard strips after 6 weeks... Perhaps that may have stopped the queen from laying? I'll look again in a few weeks!

Thanks

 

[BKF Admin]

Do they seem like they are queenright ?

 

[Gardenbees]

Hmm.. there's several threads on the forum about apparently missing queens following thymol treatment. Lots of people - like me! - have had one or more colonies with no eggs or brood, sometimes for several weeks during treatment. But the bees weren't behaving as if they had lost a queen - they usually make a terrific fuss, roaring loudly in and around the hive, and making a new queen as soon as possible. Or, they start laying themselves, gradually reduce in numbers and the hive dwindles and has a lost kind of air about it. If they had lost the queen I don't therefore think they'd be carrying on as usual, filling up with stores and behaving in a purposeful way.

If the bees *seem* queenright then they probably are despite the lack of eggs etc. I wouldn't do anything rash unless the girls are clearly in need of a new queen. If you're really worried and have a frame from another colony with some new-ish eggs then you could use it as a test frame (they'll make queen cells with it if they're in need of one). But I wouldn't bother as it sounds as though they're OK, the new queen is just sulking after the Apiguard. NB. it took mine 6 weeks to start laying again... whereas the queen in my other colony didn't stop laying at all. Fickle ladies!

 

[PaleoPerson]

I have just removed the last trays of Apiguard from my colonies at an out apiary. Two of them no brood, no eggs but both are queen right. I will give them a few weeks to recover or they will be united with others.

On one of them, found the queen running down the outside of the brood box!!!

 

[Ulsterfry]

Yes Admin... Bringing in lots of pollen today... They seem to be acting quite normally... I'll leave them alone for a few weeks and see what happens. Thanks everyone!

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

 

[kazmcc]

When we were swapping over the strips of Apilife, we had a couple of brood rames stuck to the super frames so when we tried to take the super off, the brood frames came up with it. Because of the previous brood and super box stuck together situation, I had my beady eye on things so noticed really quickily and stopped proceedings. I had the super lowered as low as poss, then used the hive tool to unstick the frames, which meant they had to drop about 1 - 2 cm as they became unstuck. As we were alone doing this one, this was the only solution we could come up with at the time ( i've thought of a better one since ) but I was really concerned that we might have damaged the queen, and with it so late in the season.

I have been down to watch them, just to look out for any unusual behaviour ( from what I normally see ) They are carrying on as usual, seem to be coming and going with purpose, so I think we may have got away with it. There is no noisiness, aimless wandering or aggression. What are the other characteristics of a queen - colony, from observation outside the hive? My copy of Storch is on the desktop, which seems to have finally given up.

 

[Queens59]

Mine made a great deal of noise in and around the hive. They chased me and my FinL if we went to that end of the garden, and got VERY arsey when we opened the hive - I got stung only when they were Q-, and not since. I think you would have noticed though Kaz

 

[richardbees]

Ulster, it takes a few weeks after emerging for a new queen to start laying because she has to mate first.....but are there any available drones still around at this time of year?

Mine have long since disappeared

 

[kazmcc]

Mine made a great deal of noise in and around the hive. They chased me and my FinL if we went to that end of the garden, and got VERY arsey when we opened the hive - I got stung only when they were Q-, and not since. I think you would have noticed though Kaz

That's what I thought. I wnated to make sure, just to put my mind at rest. Our mentor tried to reassure me, but it was one of those niggling thoughts that I couldn't let go, so i thought I'd go and have a watch and see if I noticed a change. Seems we've been incredibly luck......Bill Turnbull would have been proud lol, against my best efforts, it seems I have fallen into the bad bee keepers catagory

 

[SimonB]

My queen started laying within 5 days of terminating Apiguard having been broodless during treatment.