All Honey, no Eggs/Brood

[mtbe]

Just opened up our three hives today, during a gorgeous Indian Summer day we're having.

One of the three has only honey.....no brood.  Didn't look very hard for a queen, but without eggs, it's pretty obvious, there is none.

These are top bar hives, but shouldn't matter.

I did try to put a split in this hive early in the season.  It seemed to be doing well.  Again, I didn't look for a queen during the summer, and come to think of it, I don't think I even looked to see how they were doing at all, do to work.

Opening them today, I saw maybe 10 covered brood, no eggs and nothing else but honey and pollen.

This late in the season, what can I do?

[Michael Bach]

How was the hives attitude?  Were they calm or agitated?  Vere they loud and pissy or just going about thier business like you were not there?  How ws the adult population. 

I ask because queen evaluation this late is very hard to do.  Brood and eggs can very widely from one hive to another.

I would look very hard for a queen.  If you do determine they are queenless, you still might be able to find one.  Local queens are still available in Massachusetts.

You could combine with a stronger hive and divide the stores up or freeze them for winter feeding.  Not sure how to combine TBH's

[mtbe]

When I was in the hive, they seemed normally agitated, for this time of year.

But when I was finished, there was a large swarm on the front porch of the hive, and for about 2 hours, alot of flying around, alot of action around the front.  A lot of bees flying around the sides of the hive and a lot of bees on the ground in front of the hive too.....

With no eggs/brood this late in the year, would a new queen help any?

[Kathyp]

don't be so sure that you don't have a queen.  at this time of the year you really need to look for her if you are worried that she's gone.  it's the one time that it's important to see her and not just go by eggs.  i have one hive where the queen is shut down, but she's there.  others with some brood left. 
at this time they will back fill the brood nest.  especially true if you have been feeding.  they will often opt for storing and not brood room.

[RayMarler]

It is possible you have a virgin in there. Maybe they were all bunched up outside as you worked them because they were having a mating flight. Only time will tell the answer, sometimes hives do go hopelessly queenless. You have three hives? Why not just put this one back together and leave alone and watch.

[Michael Bush]

They have probably shut down for the winter (or maybe I should say the fall as they will probably start rearing brood again in January...)