Nuc is 0 for 2 trying to get a queen - what's happening?

tjc1 · July 25, 2016, 03:38:06 PM

Started a nuc with frames of stores and brood, and added a virgin queen.

Virgin queen was never seen again, but bees had made 5 queen cells from the brood they had.

Queens apparently hatched (cells gone) and I added another frame of mixed brood/eggs in advance of a new queen getting mated.

New queen cannot be found after 2 weeks, and no new brood but the bees made 4 more queen cells!

Just bad luck? The only thing out of the ordinary: about 2 days after the queens would have hatched, there was a robbing incident with the nuc, which I shut down by closing the hive for the rest of one day. Maybe she got killed during the robbing? I added the second frame of brood about three days after the robbing.

Jim134 · July 25, 2016, 03:49:00 PM

In most cases once robbing get started on a nucleus Colony . The nuc is done..
:(

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Michael Bush · July 25, 2016, 04:52:26 PM

Introducing virgin queens is tricky. A candy release from a queen cage has always failed for me. In my experience, direct release of a virgin queen requires a bit of olfactory camouflage. Either smoke or essential oils or rolling in flour or dipping the abdomen in honey.

BeeMaster2 · July 26, 2016, 01:15:34 PM

I also have bad luck with queens. They hatch out just fine but do not make it back from their mating flights. It is a two fold problem. Lots of dragonflies and lots of birds that like bees. I also have Bee catchers that I keep seeing. The queens are the slowest and fattest of the bees. It makes them prime targets.
Jim

Colobee · July 26, 2016, 03:05:52 PM

I've noticed a few dragonflies occasionally hovering in the flight plane behind my hives. They seem to have discovered an almost endless supply of potential food. With thousands of foragers, it's of little concern. Queens are said to be a bit slower flying & larger, perhaps providing a better target of opportunity.

I've been contemplating one of those air powered "salt shotgun" style pellet guns...

Oblio13 · July 27, 2016, 08:38:30 AM

We live on a lake. There are occasional days when dragonflies have a feeding frenzy over our hives. It's morbidly fascinating to watch.

Rurification · July 27, 2016, 08:49:00 AM

That explains the dragon flies I've seen around my hives this year. What kinds especially like bees? I've got some big white ones hanging out... [and also lost a couple of queens from swarms...hmmm.]

BeeMaster2 · July 27, 2016, 12:53:00 PM

All of the larger ones love bees.
Jim

tjc1 · July 27, 2016, 08:43:33 PM

Hmmm.... delightful - I didn't know this about dragonflies, and, living on a pond I have plenty of the big ones... Great!

BeeMaster2 · July 27, 2016, 10:15:56 PM

I also have a pond. We have large hordes of dragonflies at certain times. My back yard was thick with them during June which was where my hives were.
Jim

tjc1 · July 30, 2016, 04:58:13 PM

This nuc now has a laying worker, it appears - scattered patches of brood which looks like it will be drone brood.

I gave them a frame of brood on July 12. They made queen cells which are now gone/empty. Is there any likelihood that there is a queen in the hive who is either not mated or not laying yet? I could not see a queen but of course that doesn't mean there wasn't one there... Anyone have any advice at this point?