Queen question about a hive which was just attacked by a BEAR!!! please help.

Ocean · November 21, 2009, 02:57:34 PM

A bear came knocked my hive down and now i can't find a queen. i'm thinking should i buy one now? or should i wait and get one after the winter? I"m in NJ and wondering if the bees will survive without a queen?
Where should i buy one if the case comes to it?

thanks

Irwin · November 21, 2009, 03:08:37 PM

I would do a news paper combine and a split in the spring. It's going to be hard to get a Queen.

Kathyp · November 21, 2009, 03:13:14 PM

she may still be there. i would put the hive back together. you may need to reduce size if you lost many bees. give them a few days to settle and then look for her again (weather permitting).

if you can not find her, do as irwin suggests. combine them with another hive and hope to split them in the spring if they are strong enough.

Ocean · November 21, 2009, 04:34:36 PM

what is a newspaper combine? how do i do that? whats the process? i checked today because weather was nice and it seems that the queen is not there, (and only 2 large frames are full with bees, rest are just empty frames.. I'm trying to feed them right now, but they are not even taking the sugar water.

Kathyp · November 21, 2009, 04:51:35 PM

put a sheet of newspaper over the frames of one of your other hives. put a FEW SMALL slits in the newspaper. put damaged hive on top. put small stick or something between hive body and lid to give small upper entrance. bees will mix over the next couple of days. remove damaged hive and any newspaper that is still on. shake off any bees still in upper hive and you can slip any brood frames into lower hive also. put top on. done.

Ocean · November 21, 2009, 06:50:30 PM

thank you Kathy i will try to observe the hive for another 2 days, and see if i can find the queen, if not, i will surely add them just like you mentioned. Thanks alot.

Robo · November 21, 2009, 08:12:05 PM

I agree with Kathy, wait it out a few more days. Was there brood in the hive at all? (In other words, was the queen laying before the attack, or had she shut down for winter).

If there are only 2 frames of bees, your chances of them making it through until spring are fairly close to zero if you leave them in a 10 frame box with empty frames. You need to either move them to a nuc box or limit there space in the 10 frame box with a insulation board divider.

I assume the queen was not marked :buttkick: I have seen the stress of a bear attack cause a queen to stop laying for almost a week, so if you are relying on seeing eggs, keep this in mind. I have also seen it have no affect and witnessed a queen continuing to lay as I reassemble the hive.

Best of Luck.....