Queenless hive ??

[dto001]

How’s it goin,

I have one hive which has no worker brood and I can see one or 2 eggs literally the odd one or 2 eggs there is some drone brood and still drones. I also can’t find a queen but I never can.
Now I have a weak nuc which has a non laying queen (I’ve seen it) in it should I join the two or leave them as is?
I don’t think there would be any point in putting in a frame of eggs as it’s very late in the year and probably won’t get mated.

Thanks in advance

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I bet the queen is still there, just the usual September brood break - uniting is just going to mean chaos.

 

[Bakerbee]

I agree there are many beeks saying there queen is off lay atm. I eould be invlined to jump on the chsnce of treating for varroa whislt you have no brood tho.

 

[Murox]

I have a hive that appeared queen less at the end of August. Cooler weather where I live, anyway I simply fed them a light syrup and left them alone. Last week I checked them and all seems well, brood young bees and a bit light on stores. Now eating heavy syrup like crazy. Point is they do go off lay, have a break, God I know I would!

 

[drex]

I always put in a test frame before I pronounce a hive queen less. It is called a test frame as you are testing whether a queen is there or not. Going on to produce a queen from it is another matter,

 

[beeno]

I have a hive that appeared queen less at the end of August. Cooler weather where I live, anyway I simply fed them a light syrup and left them alone. Last week I checked them and all seems well, brood young bees and a bit light on stores. Now eating heavy syrup like crazy. Point is they do go off lay, have a break, God I know I would!

Same scenario here apart from the fact that she had become a drone layer!

 

[oliver90owner]

I don’t think there would be any point in putting in a frame of eggs as it’s very late in the year and probably won’t get mated.

It is called a TEST FRAME. There is a very good reason why it is called that.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

For the sake of a few days, I would put a test frame in rather than risk anything that cannot be reversed. See what happens and then decide based on evidence rather than a hunch.

Provided you don't have any disease worries in your colonies, you can always pull a test frame out of a hive after a few days and put it back where it came from!

 

[For want of a better word]

Same scenario here apart from the fact that she had become a drone layer!

You found the queen?