Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: mathew on April 10, 2011, 05:04:29 PM

Title: Eggs not hatching
Post by: mathew on April 10, 2011, 05:04:29 PM
On March 26th, I noticed my queen started laying. I was hoping that those eggs will hatch and the brood patch would be sealed by now. I was surprised to see that the eggs I noticed on March 26th are not hatched at all. The queen has continued to lay on a different section of the frame but no eggs have hatched. There are only a fistful of bees left in the hive. Its my only hive that has survived the winter so I don't have the luxury to equalize. The temperatures have been on average above 5 degrees and it rains alot. I have placed 1:1 sugar syrup and a pollen patty. I just don't understand why wouldn't some of the eggs hatch at least.

Title: Re: Eggs not hatching
Post by: FRAMEshift on April 10, 2011, 07:04:51 PM
Eggs hatch 3 days after they are laid.  If they don't hatch then they are dead.  Or do you mean none of the eggs laid March 26 have emerged as new bees?  They would emerge 21 days after they are laid so that would be a week from now.  But if there is only a handful of bees left, the hive is probably in serious trouble.

Do you have capped brood? 
Title: Re: Eggs not hatching
Post by: mathew on April 10, 2011, 08:27:40 PM
No capped brood. Yes the eggs that were laid on March 26th has not hatched.

Definitely in serious trouble. Its just a matter of days before the hive totally collapses if the weather outside does not improve. There has been constant rain. When the sun shines, its cold and windy. Plus the rain rots alot of the blooms that we are getting. Horrible Horrible spring weather. So tough on bees.
Title: Re: Eggs not hatching
Post by: Michael Bush on April 11, 2011, 01:20:18 AM
It takes a certain amount of bees to generate the humidity and warmth necessary for the eggs to hatch.
Title: Re: Eggs not hatching
Post by: Finski on April 11, 2011, 02:14:39 AM
.
If bees have lack of protein and nutritions, they do not start to rear larvae.
Added with nosema, it may be a reason too.

If the colony is twist size. It shoud  be in 2 twist size hive. It needs only one frame, and practically it has no future.

I have just now twist size colonies. Winter was hard but varroa caused more damages.

I keep clusters alive by moving bees and brood brom bigg hives.
I hve electrict heating too in those hives that they need not to fight against cold.
Title: Re: Eggs not hatching
Post by: Finski on April 11, 2011, 02:19:37 AM
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If this is your only hive. Make an insulated  4 frame box and go to bye frames with brood and bees from some beekeeper and put then a queen there.