Taking in pollen

Gmm243 · Aug 20, 2023

Evening,
How reliable is it to assume that bees taking in pollen have a laying queen in the hive?
This is just to satisfy my own curiosity really. Have a hive that has no queen and despite introducing a queen which was killed and putting in frames of eggs I did not see any sign of a queen present after all my efforts. I was fairly certain they had a suicide wish and after 4 attempts to requeen have fairly much given up any hope that they might come right.
Today I was checking a hive beside this hive which is queen right and they were both drawing in lots of pollen. Some very dark brown and some from ivy.
I didn't have my suit with me and as they have been very cranky anytime I opened them to insert the queen or the frames I just walked away.
I know it's not a fail safe way to know of the state of the hive but just curious to know what peoples own views are.
Thanks..

Paulypaul · Aug 20, 2023

Recently, I accidentally removed the queen from a moderately strong hive after making a complete pigs ear of an attempted small split.

Queen was out for 10 days. Workers kept collecting pollen, throughout.

ericbeaumont · Aug 21, 2023

Gmm243 said:
assume that bees taking in pollen have a laying queen in the hive

Not reliable.

Gmm243 said:
after 4 attempts to requeen

Over what period? Bees do want a queen, but it's difficult to work out what's going on without dates.

Gmm243 said:
lots of pollen. Some very dark brown and some from ivy

Too early for ivy.

Gmm243 · Aug 21, 2023

We usually see our bees on ivy from around 2nd Sept but this year the ivy has started to bloom earlier and a lot of it is being worked presently. We usually get a lot of briars in blossom right throughout August but this year it was a total non event possibly due to the weather and we only saw it in blossom for about 10 days.
As for dates for the efforts to requeen I am on holiday at the minute so have no way to look up the diary but roughly since the end of June/start of July.
This was a very strong,calm colony on a brood and a half with the very productive queen which sadly swarmed and since then have been wicked. They would cover the front of the hive and follow me down the lane even when I didn't open them up but was working at the hive beside them.