Queen only lays on one frame.

[Torq]

Hi Guys,
I've a queen in a 5 frame nuc that will only lay on 1 frame, She has old drawn brood comb on either side but just doesn't wan to lay on it. I was thinking of taking a frame of point of emergence brood from a hive and putting it in beside her hoping that the cells in the brood left by emerging brood will encourage her to make a move sideways. What do you think?
Torq

 

[B+.]

What do you think?

Is she laying the whole of the comb or just a small part of it?
Its possible that her antennae are damaged

 

[Torq]

Is she laying the whole of the comb or just a small part of it?
Its possible that her antennae are damaged

Most of the center of the frame on both sides but only in the spaces where the was brood recently.

Squish time?

 

[oliver90owner]

Are there enough bees to support more brood? If not ..... your frame of emerging bees may just do the trick and fool you into thinking it was the freshly vacated brood cells that were the solution.

 

[Torq]

Are there enough bees to support more brood? If not ..... your frame of emerging bees may just do the trick and fool you into thinking it was the freshly vacated brood cells that were the solution.

At first I thought you meant "her" but now I know what you mean! I'll stick in a frame of brood and slim them down with kingspan.

Thanks!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Don't be hasty; I have very little brood and it may be the weather slowing her.

 

[Roola]

Don't be hasty; I have very little brood and it may be the weather slowing her.

Went and did the rounds on my hives today, this post reverberated in my mind a few times. A few of my colonies have really reduced in numbers and brood has dropped to a minimum, maybe a few frames, little capped brood either so looks like a brood break followed by a reduced laying rate... are yours similar? Stored were low so feed is now on! Will feeding stimulate laying do you think?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Will feeding stimulate laying do you think?

Pollen will do that. Roll on Ivy

 

[Roola]

Pollen will do that. Roll on Ivy

Don't out think that's why numbers have reduced so much in some of my colonies? It's quite noticeable... don't remember it being that much in the past! Just out of interest, would people in this situation feed slowly in order to avoid them overfilling and taking up future laying space?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Went and did the rounds on my hives today, this post reverberated in my mind a few times. A few of my colonies have really reduced in numbers and brood has dropped to a minimum, maybe a few frames, little capped brood either so looks like a brood break followed by a reduced laying rate... are yours similar? Stored were low so feed is now on! Will feeding stimulate laying do you think?

I agree with Erica. If they heft light, feed; otherwise, let them get on with it is my approach.

In general I see my role as pathogen control and swarm monitoring. Not a lot else apart from stock management and starvation prevention (because I take their honey). No brood stimulation etc.

ADD It makes sense as well that filthy weather right after taking all their stores would trigger a brood break. Squishing seems like a harsh way of apologising.

 

[Pete D]

Are there enough bees to support more brood?

As above, a nuc needs plenty of young bees to raise brood and plenty of stores as the young bees wont be foraging. Nucs are normally made up with mostly capped brood to aid this.

Good luck