Queenless hive

[TOBY-3652]

Hi all/ i have a hive that hasnt been bringing much pollen in so today 16 degrees i had a look in and there is no eggs or brood of any description.i realy suspect that it is queenless. It is a hive that i united last year and the queen was laying well. There is plenty of bees in it, what are my options??. What would someone more experienced do ??? Thanks.

 

[oliver90owner]

11 colonies? First of all I would ascertain whether queenless or not. Unite when queenless or requeen from an overwintered nuc (might be a unite anyway). I can't think of any other simple alternatives, can you?

 

[REDWOOD]

If you can't find the queen, borrow a frame of eggs from another hive and see if the bees make queen cells, are the bees good tempered or are there any fanning outside the entrance all signs of a queenless hive

 

[richardbees]

there is no eggs or brood of any description

no debate, unite them with the strongest of your other hives.

 

[TOBY-3652]

After i had inspected the bees were fanning at the entrance. If i ascertain that they are queenless and unite when can this be done ??

 

[richardbees]

Toby, there will always be fanning at the entrance vafter the hive's been disturbed enough - if you look closely, they've stuck their bum in the air to expose the Nasonev gland which exhudes a pheromone saying "here is home"....whatever

Unite tomorrow, the weather looks ok. Don't bother faffing about with a frame of eggs as that colony is queenless

richard

 

[wightbees]

Buy a queen is another option

 

[Hivemaker.]

there is no eggs or brood of any description

no debate, unite them with the strongest of your other hives.

I had one that i inspected just over a week ago like that,strong,but no eggs or brood,but they had a virgin queen,which i killed, and then gave them a new mated queen.

A test frame is always a good idea,unless your 100% sure they are Q-

 

[TOBY-3652]

Options options what to do??? I will have a good look on a sunny day only 8 degrees today and then probably put test frame in 2 make sure i would like 2 put new queen in if they are queenless.. I see hivemaker put a new queen in yours. Have you got any spare 2 sell????

 

[drstitson]

toby - given where you are you need strong colonies for the OSR.
rather than delay further for a queen i'd unite. get a nice strong colony for the flow then AS it.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Osr 200 acres 2 fields off my hives this hive that is suspect is in a garden on its own about a mile or maybe a little bit more from my others. If i took one to it from home would some of the bees come back. And if they did would they go in other hives??

 

[george]

I would read through what you wrote in first post of the thread and rethink . You united a queenless colony with a strong queenright one . You have come out of Winter with one qless hive . Why risk doing the same thing again ?

I would be hard nosed about it and let it dwindle , but you could put a frame of emerging brood from a strong hive , but only if you have the number of bees needed to nurse them . Keep in mind these are now old ladies from last year and wont be around for much longer .

G

 

[roymichaeldean]

Leave them alone

Hi

I know this is the opposite of the pro active replies but if there are bees and pollen at this time of year I would leave them for 2 weeks.
There are no Queens around at the moment.....whatstherush
And early April see what's happening then...

roy

 

[drstitson]

surely the longer you leave it the more ensconced will be any laying workers and the colony itself will be dwindling as the winter bees die out.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If you're sure they're queenless unite, otherwise put in a test frame to check for presence of the queen. (She'll more likely be found on/near the brood if present). If queen present, remove her and unite anyway. Could be duff queen or later supercedure queen that never mated.

 

[TOBY-3652]

thanks everyone for replying.... now for the update i panic,, temp got up so me being me i lit smoker and had a look deffinatly no eggs or brood plenty of stores, plenty of room 4 queen to lay..and there on the last frame was a marked queen, she looks in good nick.. so why is she not laying?? when the ones i looked at yesterday all had 2/3/ or 4 frames of brood. this queen was 2011 and laying well last year. thanks everyone i think patience patience

 

[richardbees]

Toby

Glad you could identify her as I'd suggest you open the hive again to remove her then unite.

Obviously there's something wrong - it can't be a three week headache !

 

[TOBY-3652]

im abit puzzled about the queen/ it was one that i united last year and she was laying really well. there is a good lot of bees in the hive, no drones, its just puzzling why she isnt laying, she looked well. i will leave it till weekend then if the weathers good ile open hive and see. but i think youre right somethings wrong and if i dilly about ile get nowhere//

 

[Nightynight]

im abit puzzled about the queen/ it was one that i united last year and she was laying really well. there is a good lot of bees in the hive, no drones, its just puzzling why she isnt laying, she looked well. i will leave it till weekend then if the weathers good ile open hive and see. but i think youre right somethings wrong and if i dilly about ile get nowhere//

option 2
split off into a nuc with the existing queen, plus frame of brood/eggs from another hive. re-unite what is left with another hive.

See if the nuc bees try and replace her or she starts laying. If neither happens remove the broken queen and re-unite the nuc plus new bees from the brood frame with another hive.


done as much as you can do at that point

 

[MuswellMetro]

option 2
split off into a nuc with the existing queen, plus frame of brood/eggs from another hive. re-unite what is left with another hive.

See if the nuc bees try and replace her or she starts laying. If neither happens remove the broken queen and re-unite the nuc plus new bees from the brood frame with another hive.


done as much as you can do at that point

I would test for Nosema first before you split or unite, She could be Nosemetic...quick test could save you a lots of problems

i think the drought stress in South Eeast /East Anglia last year has increased the number of cases of Nosema this winter

why did you unite last year, was one of the hives failing....nosema?