Hive just not getting larger...

[SteveSC]

About 15 mons. ago I re-queened a hive with a Russian queen.  The hive had swarmed a couple times in the spring of 07' and I thought it would be a good time to re-queen at that time. 

Since I re-queened that hive hasn't made any head way toward establishing it's self as a strong hive.  The hive hasn't got past the filling the brood box much less any supers.  I didn't think it would make through this past winter but it did. Several times I've looked for and located the marked queen just to make sure she was still there ( she's always easy to find ) but there never seems to be any eggs or larvae in the brood box.  There's no apparent signs of illness in the hive, it's just not growing.

Could it be that the queen I bought had not been bred or cannot breed..?  Someone in the hive is obviously laying a few eggs or the hive would have died long ago but there's not many eggs being layed. I hate to get rid of the hive before I know what the problem is, I might be able to save it.  I've put brood frames from other hives in there a couple times but they seem not to help to sustain numbers and grow the hive.

Any ideas...  Thanks.

[Kathyp]

give her a little time if you can.  i don't know what your weather has been like, but i have heard that the russians start off a little late, then build up quickly.  do a search on here and see what has been written about them.  i started with russians, but no longer have any.

[SteveSC]

I have several other Russian hives ( from the same Russian queen breeder ) that are the same age as this one and they're thriving. 

I'm stumped. 

[Ross]

reduce their space to the bare minimum.  When they are busting out, then give them another box.

[SteveSC]

reduce their space to the bare minimum.  When they are busting out, then give them another box.

I'd have to reduce them down to a 4 frame NUC but they've been in a one brood box hive for well over a yr. and they haven't increased in size.  I might try that just to see. 

I bet there's there not 500 bees in the entire hive but they maintain those numbers yr. round.....that's what strange about it. I bet I have a queen in there that's laying just a few eggs here and there.

[Ross]

Sounds like they are having trouble maintaining that much space.  Try reducing them to 5 frames and see what happens.  Give them a frame of capped/emerging brood too.  That might be enough to get them a population that can cope.  It takes a critical mass of bees for any given size space.  Try hanging 10 frames from a gymnasium ceiling and even a big hive will have a problem. 

[SteveSC]

Good point....  I'll try it.  Thanks