What to do when we suspect our colony is queenless

[enrico]

Hi so the test cell ... they have created queen cells .... so confirmation then ...which is a shame. So should I give them some fresher eggs or let them build a set and check in 10days and cull/pick the best looing q cell to progress ?
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Deleted as I was confusing this thread with another one.......as the posts below!sorry!

 

[Erichalfbee]

This rang a bell from a few days ago, so I wondered, and ...



Sorry - couldn't resist. I agree with you really. But you know what they say about asking one beekeper and getting two opinions

(and I think the underlying situation was different for these comments too)

Yes. Ask one beekeeper and you’ll get three answers
But there’s probably a difference between emergency cells made if you nobble the queen and emergency cells in a depleted queenless colony working on a test frame.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes. Ask one beekeeper and you’ll get three answers
But there’s probably a difference between emergency cells made if you nobble the queen and emergency cells in a depleted queenless colony working on a test frame.

one heck of a difference

 

[Erichalfbee]

one heck of a difference

And I’d go further. I wouldn’t be letting a small colony full of old bees raise a queen. She will be poor. Best unite.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And I’d go further. I wouldn’t be letting a small colony full of old bees raise a queen. She will be poor. Best unite.

Yes, a test frame is just that - to see whether they are queenright or not. I would then just buy a new mated queen, unite or just shake out

 

[citrus]

Yeah this is a nobbled colony that was going great until i put it from a nuc to a full hive - I was pretty careful too ..... well going to give them a chance to raise a new queen this way using this test frame.

 

[RichardBeeW]

We had a similar experience with one of our four hives too this spring - our most busy hive (of course). We did the initial spring inspection on the other three (two were overwintered nucs going into full BN hives - and since doing well). The hive in question was left until 23rd April and was found to have mostly large areas of sealed brood on about nine frames (which looked a great pattern) with probably in total about one frame of uncapped brood - but no larvae under two or three days of age. There had been space to lay still but on several frames there were neat patches of capped drone brood in the centre of the brood nest frames which I would have thought would have been reserved for worker brood. So have inserted a test frame of eggs from one of the other hives and will check around the 28th - 30th for capped queen cells. An interesting pointer is that all four hives have always ignored us when we sit about three feet away from (this problem hive) for lunch or cuppas on suitable days. Last Saturday (I'm guessing around the time the queen went 'missing') a bee, probably from this hive, I was sitting about five feet from it, strung me for no reason. Same again Sunday and Monday - from Tuesday on I just didn't linger On Monday, three days after putting in the test frame I sat twice by the hive and, as had been usual, the bees showed no interest. They were absolutely fine though while inspecting and (at the same time) putting in the test frame - very docile in fact. Any thoughts? Checked for existing QCs and nothing seen.

 

[enrico]

We had a similar experience with one of our four hives too this spring - our most busy hive (of course). We did the initial spring inspection on the other three (two were overwintered nucs going into full BN hives - and since doing well). The hive in question was left until 23rd April and was found to have mostly large areas of sealed brood on about nine frames (which looked a great pattern) with probably in total about one frame of uncapped brood - but no larvae under two or three days of age. There had been space to lay still but on several frames there were neat patches of capped drone brood in the centre of the brood nest frames which I would have thought would have been reserved for worker brood. So have inserted a test frame of eggs from one of the other hives and will check around the 28th - 30th for capped queen cells. An interesting pointer is that all four hives have always ignored us when we sit about three feet away from (this problem hive) for lunch or cuppas on suitable days. Last Saturday (I'm guessing around the time the queen went 'missing') a bee, probably from this hive, I was sitting about five feet from it, strung me for no reason. Same again Sunday and Monday - from Tuesday on I just didn't linger On Monday, three days after putting in the test frame I sat twice by the hive and, as had been usual, the bees showed no interest. They were absolutely fine though while inspecting and (at the same time) putting in the test frame - very docile in fact. Any thoughts? Checked for existing QCs and nothing seen.
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I think there are probably a few coincidences here! Bad vibes in a hive travel quickly. I often find the death of one stroppy guard doesn't mean more will necessarily follow! I have had no problems with the bees today. Two days ago one was being a real pain! It is such a fine line between defensive and aggressive!

 

[citrus]

Yes. Ask one beekeeper and you’ll get three answers
But there’s probably a difference between emergency cells made if you nobble the queen and emergency cells in a depleted queenless colony working on a test frame.

So checked the other day and the queen cells are now totally missing .so hoping this means queen has emerged and workers taken down the remnants of the queen cells ... I didnt spend long disturbing them ...and its too early to check for eggs etc ... just was thinking .. should I top this community with some sealed brood from another hive ? still lots of bees in the box but with no brood coming soon ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

So checked the other day and the queen cells are now totally missing .so hoping this means queen has emerged and workers taken down the remnants of the queen cells ... I didnt spend long disturbing them ...and its too early to check for eggs etc ... just was thinking .. should I top this community with some sealed brood from another hive ? still lots of bees in the box but with no brood coming soon ...

If you fancy adding brood it should be emerging. Personally I wouldn’t bother b

 

[enrico]

Leave them to it, they will catch-up