Quick check of dodgy queen?

[Stedic]

Forecast on Friday is 10 degrees and sunny. I intend to add fondant to two light hives, so crown board will be off while I add fondant, eke etc.

At the end of October one of those hives had an iffy Queen. On last inspection I found emergency cells, recently hatched but no eggs. I had hoped to check for brood at a later stage, but weather was never suitable when I wasn’t at work. I had decided to see what happened - she was either out and mated, or she wasn’t and I couldn’t fix it anyway!

As I have to open them up anyway, is there any value in a very, very, very quick look for worker brood? If there isn’t any I have a nuc next door to them - could I unite successfully this late in the season? I don’t want to risk a healthy nuc trying to save a dwindling hive, but it’d work it might be worth a go.

Weather going forward is 9-10 degrees for a fortnight, if that changes anything.

 

[Poly Hive]

No.

PH

 

[Karsal]

Forecast on Friday is 10 degrees and sunny. I intend to add fondant to two light hives, so crown board will be off while I add fondant, eke etc.

At the end of October one of those hives had an iffy Queen. On last inspection I found emergency cells, recently hatched but no eggs. I had hoped to check for brood at a later stage, but weather was never suitable when I wasn’t at work. I had decided to see what happened - she was either out and mated, or she wasn’t and I couldn’t fix it anyway!

As I have to open them up anyway, is there any value in a very, very, very quick look for worker brood? If there isn’t any I have a nuc next door to them - could I unite successfully this late in the season? I don’t want to risk a healthy nuc trying to save a dwindling hive, but it’d work it might be worth a go.

Weather going forward is 9-10 degrees for a fortnight, if that changes anything.

Leave them alone. Learn to be patient when keeping bees. There's nothing you can do of any value at this time of year. Wait until spring.

 

[domino]

Why not put an inspection board in? I use them in the winter to check on the odd hive I'm worried about.

 

[Millet]

Why not put an inspection board in? I use them in the winter to check on the odd hive I'm worried about.

What good would that be... Can you tell the difference between drone brood cappings and worker brood..

 

[enrico]

Uniting won't help Stedic, leave the nuc to survive without putting that at risk through stress too. Wait until spring, fingers crossed!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A quick peek won't hurt, but what will you do then?
If there is no brood, you can do nothing just hope it's a brood break and let them get on with it.
If there is worker brood, things are OK - maybe - you'll know for sure in the spring
if there is all drone brood and she's still laying (not just the last brood emerging during a brood break) looks like she's a dud, so carry on and unite - if it's worth it with the remaining bees.

 

[domino]

What good would that be... Can you tell the difference between drone brood cappings and worker brood..

Yes

 

[Hebeegeebee]

In sunny Leicester any virgin queens would not have mated if emerged (an egg hatches) in late October or whenever you last inspection was.

So what do you do?

Probably best to leave them in my view. In spring you may find an old and a new queen but will most likely find just a drone laying queen. You will have old bees and some drones (but not that many possibly as the colony will not really want them). So you could remove the queen and unite them to your nuc - but ensure that varroa is not a problem first. Although the bees are old, they will definitely boost the nuc. Action between now and spring is simply to ensure that the two hives are close together so you can unite.

 

[Stedic]

So I resisted the urge to peak and just added fondant as they were light. As luck would have it this hive have a clear crownboard. There is a good sized cluster, no obvious sign of DWV issues. When the sun came out there were a lot of flying bees, and quite a few youngish fluffy ones on the landing board.

So who knows, but hopefully there is a queen lurking in there. Last full inspection on that hive was first week of September so she may have managed to mate. Anyway, we shall see what spring brings!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Last full inspection on that hive was first week of September

So plenty of time for a queen to mate after then.