Queens on same frame for 2nd week?

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

We checked our hives on Sat only to find that hive (4) stiil has two queens and this week they were next to each other on the same frame.

We seem to have lost our queen in the big hive, hive (1) for the second week there are no eggs or grubs we do have a Q/C with a grub in it.

My question this week is if a queen is hatched but not mated will she over wintre with the hive?

We have a small hive (8) which was collected in August it only has 5 frames with bees on but a nice big queen.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Seems rather late to be inspecting, what was the reason for going in

i have not been in my hives for weeks...just hefted

 

[drstitson]

"what was the reason for going in"

just to make sure she gets disturbed during the one bit of nice weather when she might get mated at this time of year.

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Down here in Cornwall its still very warm 16 yesterday the girls are still working hard bringing in pollen and nectar, yesterday their pollen sacks were full of bright yellow pollen.

 

[oliver90owner]

My advice?

Get on with it - check for Q- and unite with another colony.

Of course she will over-winter with the colony (if strong enough) - and be a drone layer in the spring, if not mated. Just delaying the problem from now until spring, if not sorted now.

And leave your supercedure colony alone. You know the score; no need to interfere further.

 

[Hivemaker.]

We seem to have lost our queen in the big hive, hive (1) for the second week there are no eggs or grubs we do have a Q/C with a grub in it.

My question this week is if a queen is hatched but not mated will she over wintre with the hive?

Seems rather late to be inspecting, what was the reason for going in

i have not been in my hives for weeks...just hefted

How else would you be able to spot a problem which could be rectified?


Yes a virgin queen will over winter with the rest of the bees,and become a drone layer at some stage.

 

[drstitson]

"hive (1) for the second week there are no eggs or grubs we do have a Q/C with a grub in it."

was the queen cell present last week????
do you have sealed brood?

a viable larva in a queen cell suggests that queen was present and laying 4-8 days ago.

 

[drstitson]

"Seems rather late to be inspecting, what was the reason for going in
i have not been in my hives for weeks...just hefted"

"How else would you be able to spot a problem which could be rectified?"

HM - when do YOU stop actively inspecting your hives?????

 

[Hivemaker.]

HM - when do YOU stop actively inspecting your hives?????

When the last treatments come off, last ones just went on some hives today...so often end of october early november, and re queen if needed.

 

[drstitson]

Fair enough - traditional bonfire night closedown!!!!

re requeening - presumably you test frame and have to go in again to check and then requeen?????

 

[Hivemaker.]

re requeening - presumably you test frame and have to go in again to check and then requeen?????

Sometimes, depends on the situation in the hive at the time.

 

[drstitson]

so given the scale you are working on you have the luxury of being able to attempt introduction to all possibly queenless hives "blind"?

presumably weak colonies culled rather than checking and uniting?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Re queen them ..yes. Maybe a virgin that will never mate, queen with something wrong with her, spotted during the last examination after treatments...lots of mating nucs to be transfered into thier heated winter homes. Some old queens that just need replacing...i prefer to do this after any thymol treatments are finnished and during the ivy nectar flow, which is only just starting here.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I think a lot of our difference in approach is location and climate rather than intention, i should have paid more notice of robbie and jan more westerly location,

The weather at my main Apiary today was sunny but only 13c and was down to 6c overnight even though in a walled garden. My veiws are perhaps also conditioned due to lots of phone calls from Newbees telling me they have just inspected their hive and...etc etc..I am thinking why did they go in in this awful weather

Here the ivy has been in full flow for four weeks and soon will be over. I have a little Himalayian Balsam coming in at the university London roof top Apairy but otherwise I have been in dearth except for ivy since July and most hive have had a gallon of inverted sugar syrup just to keep them ticking over ...had to order more syrup

i inspect once after the varroa treatment to assess stores but normal dont go into the brood area unless there seems to be a problem which this year was only one hive out of 15 though it was a higher percentage on the association apiaries that I inspected as some needed combining

in my Apairies the varroa treatment went on the third week of August so it has been off a few weeks and i have nearly finished winter feeding . I am now tucking them up for winter and making them sheep and wallaby proof

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

it seems that a lot of people have shut up shop but down here in Cornwall we tend to go on a little longer last year our last inspection was the 18th Oct, we have to move our hives about 800 yards down the road so we hope to do that in Nov when they are a little bit sleepy!

 

[For want of a better word]

Due to the warm autumnal sea the area adjunct to Plymouth Sound and most of the lower Tamar Valley enjoys a sub tropical micro climate................................................

Weather differences across the UK vary massively, may I suggest before posting a "shock horror.. not at this time of year " post... the Op's location is checked!

 

[drstitson]

"Queens on same frame for 2nd week?"

you didn't misunderstand instructions and instead of marking frames with Queen CELLS with drawing pins .....

 

[MuswellMetro]

"Queens on same frame for 2nd week?"

you didn't misunderstand instructions and instead of marking frames with Queen CELLS with drawing pins .....

seen almost that in beginners hive....they decided to mark the queen and asked me what to do

1) find the queen
2) imobilise by pressing a crown of Thorns over her, and allow the workers to escape through the bars
3) mark the queen on the thorax
4) let the marking paint dry
5) put her back in the hive

two days later, they asked me to look at their queen.....she was still in the crown of Thorns as my instruction did not say remove the crown of thorns they thought she would escape through the bars like the workers

have we sorted out Robbies and jans question

1)...two queens mother and daughter can exist for quite some time, i have had two laying for a month side by side

2) are you sure it is a virgin in there and not just thymol putting an old queen off laying

 

[Alabamaeee]

I had one queen come out of the crown of thorns after marking, right up through the mesh. She is a small one and is mated!

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

The big hive, hive 1 is the only hive with two brood boxes its been great all year then two weeks ago we could not find a queen last sat we check again and no queen no grubs or eggs still some sealed brood. The old queen was a good layer, we have put A/P in Sat there is a Q/C with grub in it on the outside frame? not sure if it will hatch or if the new queen will over winter about 70lb of stores in the hive.