Swarm question

[Mklangelo]

If they did swarm, would they all go?   I opened my hives for the first time in around two weeks.  I didn't have alot of concern over swarming since there is plenty of unworked foundation in all of the hives. But I really didn't see alot of brood and in retrospect I have the feeling that either over half the hive was out foraging or there is a population decrease.


Both brood boxes are full of worked comb, except for a weak hive I have so that's not out of the ordinary for them.  But in the other two, stronger hives in the upper brood box , there is PLENTY of stored honey, I lifted one and it had to weigh 70 pounds at least.  I just didn't see allot of brood. I did see lots of bees centered on the place on the frame where they should be for controlling the temp of the brood.

Does that make sense?  Is it wise to assume that there is brood under those nurse bees, if indeed that is what they were doing?  If they were just storing more pollen or Nectar, I don't think they would all be uniformly congregated in that nice, centered, fanning out toward the bottom pattern, would they?


Thanks!

[Kathyp]

you need to check.  if they go queenless, they will put thier energy into storing honey.  you think they are doing great for you, but they are about to go under   :-\.  i had to requeen a hive a few weeks ago.  it was storing honey and i held out some hope for a little extra for me.  turned out they were queenless.  now the hive is growing great, but the stores are down  :-(

[JP]

I concur with Kathyp, check and make sure you have a queen or brood. If not, re-queen. Like my post earlier, "the hive that turned happy before my eyes", they had honey but no brood, they were in survival mode. What a difference it made to add that queen, they went ballistic.