To quote The Smiths "The Queen is dead"

[Torq]

Hi Guys,
Did my first inspection of the year on my one and only colony today. Not good!

Though the bees had been flying for a good while now here was not a huge amount of bees, not even enough to cover 2 frames. The first frame I lifted had a play cup, the second an uncapped empty queen cell and the third a broken queen cell with the remains of a queen larva. On therestof the frames, no worker brood, just a handfull of drone brood and a few larvae in the bottom of some cells. Loads of stores, at least 5 full frames. After checking all the frames I finally found the new queen at the bottom of the hive wandering around.

So here comes the questions... What did I do wrong? Could I have avoided this by doing an earlier inspection? Did the old (last year's hatch) queen die, get superceeded or swarm?

I spoke to the keeper I got my nuc from last year and he has lost 40 out of his 150 colonies this winter.

After this set back, I'm very disappointed but I'm not going to give up!!

Torq

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi Guys,
Did my first inspection of the year on my one and only colony today. Not good!

T
So here comes the questions... What did I do wrong? Could I have avoided this by doing an earlier inspection? Did the old (last year's hatch) queen die, get superceeded or swarm?

I spoke to the keeper I got my nuc from last year and he has lost 40 out of his 150 colonies this winter.

After this set back, I'm very disappointed but I'm not going to give up!!

Torq

where are you, as the answer will depend on location, today in london it was 23c and in Lerwick it was 11c, give us clue in your profile

 

[Poly Hive]

Location is all.

Sorry for you though.

PH

 

[Torq]

Athlone in Ireland. Draw a line from Dublin across the country to Galway and stop half way about 1/2 mile from the River Shannon.

Around 17 deg today.

 

[oliver90owner]

What did I do wrong?

You say the supplier of your nuc has lost 25-30% of his colonies. It happens, and may or may not be connected to your colony loss.

Seems as though they were trying for a too-late supercedure and the virgin never mated (and may be a poor layer), although if the winter bees were short in number, they have been lucky to have survived the winter and there may now not be enough to rear any brood as they dwindle away.

My first thought is of originally poorly mated queens from the supplier but that may depend on the mode of his losses. If that were the problem there may be several reasons for it, but it is simply a wild guess.

I might be a little reticent in restocking with his strain of bee, if there were a genetic defect.

So, I am thinking there may be little or nothing you did wrong. Can't be totally sure of that but commiserations on having to start again.

If he does you a very good deal for re-supplying, I would likely take it - and requeen at the earliest opportunity from an alternative supplier (if a genetic defect) or from themselves (if a methodology problem on his part).

Regards, RAB

 

[Midland Beek]

Seems as though they were trying for a too-late supercedure and the virgin never mated (and may be a poor layer), although if the winter bees were short in number, they have been lucky to have survived the winter and there may now not be enough to rear any brood as they dwindle away.

Either that or you lost a late swarm last season and the new queen did not mate. Could excessive feeding have produced the late swarm?

Surprising they lasted this long.

 

[Torq]

I've a feeling i may have over fed as there are loads of stores. they seemed to be doing well a few weeks ago when i gave them a block of fondant. my supplier just rang me, he has a spare nuc that he's giving me tomorrow at a discount so at least i'll be back in the game.

And now to the inevitable question. . .should i let nature take it's course with the failing colony or unite them with the new nuc?

Thanks in advance!

Torq