The Queen is Dead and I'm Panicked - What should I do?

tillie · January 07, 2008, 05:05:26 PM

No, I didn't have time to go down in the hive and feel confident I could put it all together to get back to the office in time. My only goal today was to put food in, if needed. I wish I could have checked for brood, but I can't really look at stuff until the weekend, if then, given the weather constraint possibilities.

Linda T

Cindi · January 08, 2008, 10:56:19 AM

Linda, the life of a working woman. This a tough one, working outside of the home and trying to runs things as you do. I take my hat off to you, yeah!!! Good that you got a moment to check the hive quickly. I can see you driving like a mad demon to home, look at the hive, drive back to the office, and would one have ever known what you had done!!! Gone home to look at the bees. Now that paints a funny picture in my mind, and it made me smile. Yeah, good for you. I am anxious of what you will see this weekend, if you get a chance to look. Have a wonderful day, girl. Cindi

DayValleyDahlias · January 08, 2008, 12:51:03 PM

Oh golly, I do feel for you Linda. Sure hope it al works out best for the bees...Work gets in the way of my playing ALL the time :roll:

tillie · January 08, 2008, 01:53:38 PM

What gets me is that it was so random. I just glanced out on the deck and thought the bees are flying and I haven't had much to put on the blog, I'll go take some pictures.

Then it turns out that in one of the pictures is the dead queen. A wren was making quick work of the many dead bee bodies as a result of the warm weather housekeeping in the hive, and it is even more remarkable that when I returned to the hive, the leaf and the dead queen were still there undisturbed.

To look at this extremely active hive full of bees, one would not see reason to worry - I find it amazing that I just happened to see her.

Linda T in Atlanta

KONASDAD · January 08, 2008, 03:31:59 PM

I ask b/c I don't know, but how do you know if theres a queen(unless spotted) in winter when no egg laying is occurring?

Last year I found my queen on the ground w/ almost no wings and a few attendants. Initially, in my inexperience, I thought it was the beginning of a swarm, but instead its was her funeral.

tillie · January 08, 2008, 04:23:24 PM

There is some very limited brood production in winter, apparently. Both Michael and others on this forum and on Beesource say that I should find brood/eggs in the hive if the queen is indeed still alive (or in this case, if there were two queens going into winter).

Linda T in Atlanta

Cindi · January 09, 2008, 11:07:42 AM

Linda, I can't wait for this weekend when you tell us what is going on. I hope the weather is good enough that you can take a peek and see if there are any eggs in this hive that you think the queen came from. I know that you say that you take pictures and then go inside to look at them because you have difficulty to find eggs. You will get better at spotting eggs you know. Practice, but for now, the computer works wonders. Good luck, keep us posted (I know that you will, hee, hee). Have a great and wonderful day, Cindi

Kathyp · January 09, 2008, 11:17:17 AM

cindi, that camera advice that you and linda have given is the best. in fact, this year i intend to set up a tripod and just take pictures of each frame as i pull the hive apart. i miss so much trying to look as i work.

yes linda, please let us know what you find!

tillie · January 09, 2008, 12:01:26 PM

I really can't see eggs very definitely in a hive inspection. I can see them when I do the hold up the frame with the sun at my back but only with my reading glasses not sliding down my nose and with foundationless frames, not wired, it's more difficult because if the comb isn't anchored well at the bottom, the whole comb can break out and fall off of the frame turned at a slant like that for the sun view. So I always take pictures and am deeply disappointed when they are out of focus or there is some other camera failure.

Linda T in Atlanta hoping for good weather (temps) for the weekend

CBEE · January 09, 2008, 12:12:31 PM

Take a bright flashlight with you. Instant sun... and you dont have to tilt them at an angle. Just let the light shine thru :-D

Bennettoid · January 09, 2008, 02:47:43 PM

Quote from: tillie on January 09, 2008, 12:01:26 PM
I really can't see eggs very definitely in a hive inspection. I can see them when I do the hold up the frame with the sun at my back but only with my reading glasses not sliding down my nose and with foundationless frames, not wired, it's more difficult because if the comb isn't anchored well at the bottom, the whole comb can break out and fall off of the frame turned at a slant like that for the sun view. So I always take pictures and am deeply disappointed when they are out of focus or there is some other camera failure.

Linda T in Atlanta hoping for good weather (temps) for the weekend

I always take my 9 year old son with me. His young eyes can pick out brood and eggs from 3 feet away!

Cindi · January 11, 2008, 09:34:40 AM

Bennetoid. What a great idea. I know the kids have eyes like the hawks!!!! (wonder where that ol' expression came from anyways, hee, hee, they should have said chickens ((or turkeys)) eeks, can they see well). Maybe Linda could find some kids to come and look at frames for her, hee, hee :) :)

That thing about using a light to see the eggs has been mentioned before in our forum, I think it is a great and wonderful idea for sure. I have this light that that I can hook onto my hat (should I ever wear a hat), it works pretty good, but is very cumbersome though. I think that I should go and get that light hat thing that I saw at Canadian Tire. It reminded me of a miners hat with a light on it, hee, hee. That would be the best in the west. Yes, still, get the eyes of the children, hee, hee. Have a wonderful and greatest of days. Cindi

tillie · January 12, 2008, 04:54:34 PM

Oh, joy! There is a queen. Today was the first warm, sunny day when I could open the hive. Tomorrow it will be cold again, so I had to find evidence today or continue my panic. I looked through the first four frames in the box and only saw honey and empty space from brood rearing. Then in the fifth frame, I didn't see the queen, but I did see new eggs! I am so thrilled.

Michael, you were right - I guess the hive went into the winter with a mother and daughter and now has gotten rid of the daughter.

Here are pictures of what I saw - new eggs, new brood, etc.

So hopefully she'll keep going at least until the warmer weather gets here. The red maple is already blooming in Georgia - which is the beginning of our spring. I'm so HAPPY :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Linda T celebrating in Atlanta

PS I do see the Varroa mite on the bee in the bottom right of the last picture. I took lots of close-ups and this is the only mite I saw, but it certainly means powdered sugar shakes as spring arrives.

Jerrymac · January 12, 2008, 05:03:52 PM

Quote from: tillie on January 12, 2008, 04:54:34 PM
I looked through the first four frames in the box and only saw honey and empty space from brood rearing. Then in the fifth box,

That is suppose to be "fifth frame" not "box" right. I figure some folks will jump in and tell you something about having too much room :shock:

tillie · January 12, 2008, 05:06:29 PM

Thanks, Jerry - it's the fifth frame - the hive has a deep and a medium on it, I think - anyway there are two boxes and an empty third box surrounding my feeding apparatus. I'll go modify my statement as well so as to stop confusion, but isn't it great about the queen!!!!

LT in Atlanta

Note: I just looked again out on the deck - this is a hive that is wintered in 2 1/2 mediums. The top medium is half frames and half open for a feeding jar. I have a fourth empty box over the whole thing to accommodate the height of the feeding jar. The eggs, etc. were in the second box (really the top full box) just to be perfectly clear!

steveouk · January 12, 2008, 05:51:09 PM

Congratulations Linda about the queen ! Now you need to find her and mark her !

Kathyp · January 12, 2008, 05:54:23 PM

good for you, and great pictures!! how do you get pictures without getting your camera all dirty??

DayValleyDahlias · January 12, 2008, 06:14:03 PM

Yahoo! Happy fer ya!

Brian D. Bray · January 12, 2008, 10:59:15 PM

QuoteI guess the hive went into the winter with a mother and daughter and now has gotten rid of the daughter.

More likely they commited matricide, keeping the younger queen.

tillie · January 12, 2008, 11:10:16 PM

Hi Brian,
I was so excited that I posted without really re-reading what I had written - obviously they killed the mother - she even had the remnants of the white dot that had been painted on her back when she arrived -

Given the fact that one of my hives died over the 2006 -2007 winter (my first beekeeping year) - that means that she was my most ancient bee - the only original bee from my very first hive. I'm sad that she's gone - she was a good queen - when her hive barely limped through last winter and were sick with Varroa problems, she kept laying and they all went through powdered sugar shake after powdered sugar shake. She rebuilt the hive to huge proportions and now she's dead. Let's hope she left behind a daughter as capable as she was

Linda T in Atlanta