Is it REALLY queenless?

tlynn · August 26, 2009, 12:17:25 AM

I believe I have attempted requeening in the past when I thought the hive was queenless, and as Brian Bray pointed out, my queen had taken a hiatus during a dearth period. One hive I was sure was queenless I requeened with current year color and later found my previous year queen there. I did a big double take. How could I have missed her?? I was so sure because there were no eggs so I assumed she wasn't there and looked right over her.

Anyway, yesterday I went though a hive that has zero eggs, zero larvae, and zero capped brood. Nothing but honey and pollen. Could a queen let it go this far before firing up again? Plus we are definitely not in a dearth period. I haven't checked for mite load, though. I'm going to do some sugar shakes this weekend. Hive is still fairly full of bees. It had 2 supers and I pulled one. Both supers were about half full of bees.

Plan is to a newspaper combine this weekend if it definitely is queenless. Do you think it is?

Thanks

bee-nuts · August 26, 2009, 02:08:29 AM

Put in a frame of eggs and find out.

tlynn · August 26, 2009, 10:39:06 AM

Quote from: bee-nuts on August 26, 2009, 02:08:29 AM
Put in a frame of eggs and find out.

What does that tell me? If they build a queen cell it's queenless?

fish_stix · August 26, 2009, 06:08:10 PM

That is exactly right. If there are no eggs and you provide a frame of eggs they will start cells if queenless. If they don't start cells there is a queen in there somewhere. ;)

Kathyp · August 26, 2009, 06:27:37 PM

the exception would be if you already have laying workers. in that case, they might not start queen cells with the first frame of eggs. thats why, if you are going to do this as a test, it's better done sooner rather than later.

Michael Bush · August 26, 2009, 07:51:08 PM

Even with laying workers they are likely to start queen cells. Just not for sure. But the queen may have cut back because of a dearth.

tlynn · August 30, 2009, 10:04:00 AM

Well, thanks to my wife who said, "You know why don't you give that hive a good look over before you combine it?" I did, and yep, there she was. Unless I missed a swarm and the new one hasn't cranked up yet (I don't think so because this queen is very blond, which is what she looked like) she has let a full cycle of brood hatch. Hopefully she'll kick back in soon.

Lesson learned is to listen to one's wife!

Kathyp · August 30, 2009, 02:46:12 PM

how are they fixed for stores? she may have quit laying or backed way off if not enough food was coming in.

tlynn · August 31, 2009, 09:20:55 AM

Quote from: kathyp on August 30, 2009, 02:46:12 PM
how are they fixed for stores? she may have quit laying or backed way off if not enough food was coming in.

One nearly full super and one half full plus a 3 or 4 full frames in the brood box. It just doesn't seem like we are in a dearth, because when I was harvesting supers, I pulled a couple of full ones and did a shake on them and nectar sprayed out.