I know a spotty brood pattern is a sign of a failing queen. My question is whether or not I'm looking at a true spotty pattern.
Yes it looks like one but might the queen be thumbing her nose at the old crappy comb? a month ago the brood nest had a perfect pattern. The Top deep box, where the cluster was, was filled with newer comb. I've since reversed the boxes. The brood is now mostly in Old stuff. The colony is strong with a good population. Winter had little affect on them. The colony last swarmed in June of '09.
Any opinions?
(http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7483/spottybrood.jpg)
OLD BLACK COMB
A month ago it had a perfect pattern? Ok, then my guess would be it has just hatched out and the queen hasn't had a chance to start laying in it again yet, especially since you reversed boxes.
they don't care about old comb. why swap brood boxes if all is going well? if all your brood looks like that i'd change queens. what does it look like in the bottom box?
did you check closely to make sure she's not laying where bees have hatched out. it's hard to tell from the pic, but i think i see a couple of eggs and larvae. you may have pulled that frame right after a hatching and she's gone back and filled in.
The brood nest moved up into the deep with the old comb after the reverse. That's where the spotty brood is. The image is not of the former brood cluster in the newer comb.
The top box of old comb now has 5 frames of brood where a month ago it had none. The box with the new comb HAD 3 frames of brood a month ago. It still has those 3 but they are depopulating as they hatch out.
There are lots of drones and drone cells in the top box now though. All of them in tight patterns on the sides. Yes there is also worker eggs & larva on this frame.
I can not tell if this is due to hatch out. Perhaps it is. All I know is that it is not consistent with the previous brood cluster in the former top box. I just don't know if that's important or not.
The reversal was a mistake. Now the bees are trying to correct it. Let them alone and in 30 more days you will see s strong brood pattern.