Worked out I'm queenless - what next?

Rooster007 · Apr 12, 2020

Well this forum is giving the right advise so here goes for some more.
I took a chance last year on trying to get a hive through winter on an old queen as I didn't get chance to replace her late last year.
On a very quick inspection a week ago I went through the hive and couldn't see any brood, no queen but lots of stores and a small colony.
They were still bringing in stores but the hive was also damp and some slight mould on some of the frames.

I swapped the floor and brood box, cleaned the mould off the frames by removing it down to the foundation.

I then added a frame of brood from another colony and closed it up.

Looked in today and hey presto, just as the books and the forums predicted, the bees have started making QC's.

So I guess it was certainly queenless.

I was actually really surprised they had started making QC's so soon but then again they surprise and fascinate me every time I look into the hive.

My question is, what is my next plan of action?
Do I unite with a stronger colony or try to keep them going with brood from another hive until I get a capped QC from another hive?

I hope the question isn't too basic.

Thanks

pargyle · Apr 12, 2020

Well - if they have made queen cells they need a queen .. what have you done ~ knocked them all down ? If not leave them to raise their queen - by the time she's emerged there will be some drones about and a good chance she will get mated.

I would not weaken a strong colony by giving brood to a weak one.

Rooster007 · Apr 12, 2020

Thanks Parglye, Its only been 4 days since I put the brood in the hive and the bees had started making cups but not fully formed so didn't knock any back.

Some of the other hives I have have drone cells in the brood box and 1 even had a few drones when I looked through.

I did wonder about giving the brood the to weak colony and if I should of just united instead.

I guess another lesson for me and maybe I'll learn the hard way.

beeno · Apr 12, 2020

It is not good practice to let a weak colony raise QCs. Great chance of ending up with a scrub queen or intercaste queen.

pargyle · Apr 12, 2020

beeno said:
It is not good practice to let a weak colony raise QCs. Great chance of ending up with a scrub queen or intercaste queen.

That's a fallacy .. size of colony has little impact on what sort of queen is reared. A scrub queen (an intercaste queen is the same thing) might come when they only have larvae or no fresh eggs to rear from but there's no indication that the queen cells, in this case, are from anything other than viable eggs. If they did raise a scrub queen that does not mean that she won't get mated and won't perform - she might be a bit on the small side and she may get superceded fairly quickly but it's not a reason to knock down the queen cells.