Hi everybody--My hive is crashing and I'm feeling sick about it. When I checked again tonight, there are only a few dozen bees left. The queen is laying like crazy, filling up everywhere she can with fresh eggs.
For more info on why this hive may have crashed, see my other thread "Did I Learn the Right Lesson?"
I just hate to lose this amazing queen. She's the first queen I "created" from a split, she got her colony through a tough winter and I have had such high hopes for her hive.
Is there any way to save her? I have a package coming any time now. It was supposed to come early April. If it had, I could possibly have had brood by now to loan to her.
Is there some way to cage and feed her until the package comes and try for a 2-queen hive, divide the 2# package and give half to each queen or other?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I'm feeling desperate to not let her die.
Oh boy, doesn't sound good....
You might split a 3 or 4 pound package, but i'd hesitate to mess with a 2 pounder.
Perhaps you can find a local beek to donate a frame or two of bees, or find a swarm.
Otherwise I'd just let her go peacefully, no extreme measures. If you want to give it a go you *could* try to cage her and hope something else comes up, but knowing that it probably won't work.
Sorry, you have my condolences. :'(
Rick
Would I need to figure out her attendants and separate them out with her? Would I need to involve sugar water? Thanks...
Tonight, I am getting 3 packages. One of them will be queenless, 3# of Italians.
Can I cage my queen from this failing hive and dangle her between the topbars of my installed, queenless 3# package, as I would with my other packages?
I forget how it works with new packages. Who feeds the queen while they adjust to her pheromones?
And, how do I best handle her? The population in this failing hive (checked today) is down to several dozen, but the queen is still alive and laying everywhere she can. I don't think the hive collapse is her fault and would like to save her.
Does the above method make any sense? Or, what would you suggest? Thank you SO much!