how do i know if i'm queenless ?

bulldog · July 25, 2010, 10:45:25 PM

i bought a nuc about three and a half weeks ago. there were eggs, larva and capped brood, of course.all i have now are capped brood and not that many. did my queen leave ? or die ? there are no new eggs or larva, at least i don't think so, but i am new to this so maybe i just don't know what to look for. it looks like most of the combs are either filled with honey right now or empty, they are making some new comb too. would the hive continue business as usual with no queen ? they seem to be busy doing what bees do. do i have a virgin queen that hasn't started laying yet ? i'm completely clueless right now. i saw what i thought was a queen cell a week ago, but if i'm right, it would have hatched by now. and it doesn't look like it has. right now i think i should just get a new queen, but i don't want to buy one just to have it get killed. what should i do ? any help is greatly appreciated.

irerob · July 25, 2010, 11:02:00 PM

is getting a frame of brrod from another hive an option? have you noticed a difference in the hives behavior ?

bulldog · July 25, 2010, 11:05:51 PM

i'm brand new at this so i really don't know if their behavior has changed, they seem prefectly calm whenever i go in there and watching the entrance, everything seems normal. but, i do not have another hive to get any brood from, unfortunately.

irerob · July 25, 2010, 11:33:25 PM

with out being there it is hard to tell. Normally a queenless hive will be noticeably meaner than normal. other than a few signs, such as acting meaner than usual or roaring, the hive will continue as normal as far as collecting honey and pollen.
Was there any thing in the queen cell? some hives will make one just in case. If it was full it will normally take a few days for her body to harden and take her mating flight. then a day or so to put on her fuzzy slippers and get to work. As long as there is brood I wouldn't worry yet. best advice would be to seek a local mentor from a bee club to help you look though.

Kathyp · July 26, 2010, 12:00:09 AM

take a bunch of good pics with some close ups of the cell bottoms. especially the frames in the center of the hive. post them here or a link to some place like picasa. they need to be high res and clear views of the inside of the cells.

yes the hive will continue to do it's thing....until all the bees die.

slacker361 · July 26, 2010, 05:36:01 PM

Quote from: irerob on July 25, 2010, 11:33:25 PM
with out being there it is hard to tell. Normally a queenless hive will be noticeably meaner than normal. other than a few signs, such as acting meaner than usual or roaring, the hive will continue as normal as far as collecting honey and pollen.
Was there any thing in the queen cell? some hives will make one just in case. If it was full it will normally take a few days for her body to harden and take her mating flight. then a day or so to put on her fuzzy slippers and get to work. As long as there is brood I wouldn't worry yet. best advice would be to seek a local mentor from a bee club to help you look though.

Please define roaring? Like a Lion???? or just very loud buzzing

Kathyp · July 26, 2010, 05:59:10 PM

kind of. it's a sound that comes from the whole hive, not just the individual buzzing of bees. it's one of those things that you have to hear to know and you'll probably know it when you hear it.

slacker361 · July 26, 2010, 06:28:48 PM

thanks I hope i never hear it, because then I know I have to get a new queen