No eggs

craneman54 · May 29, 2015, 06:34:14 PM

I have 3 hives right now. I did an inspection today in just over week. I see small areas of different size larva but no eggs anywhere. Each hive has comb from 1/2 to 3/4 full of drawn comb. They all have a small amount of capped honey and what I feel is room for more eggs. They also have some capped brood.
The cells with the larva is somewhat scattered around the frames if 50 cent sized areas.
There are no queen cups or cells. Therefore I am thinking they are not queenless.
I am feeding all the sugar syrup the can drink.
Is this normal?

OldMech · May 29, 2015, 09:23:25 PM

Are you saying that all three of them are this way? Perhaps your not seeing the very tiny eggs?
No eggs in any of them tells me they are there, they are just not being seen...
'
Other possibilities..
Not enough bees to cover more brood so the queens are not laying until the capped brood begins to emerge?
The flow has stopped so the queens stopped laying temporarily?
You treated for mites and the chems have put them off laying for a short time?

craneman54 · May 29, 2015, 11:04:22 PM

I went over the combs carefully with my good glasses. I wont say definitely there or no eggs but I didn't see any.

Have not treated with anything.

Time will tell. I will keep feeding sugar syrup till they stop taking it and hope for the best.

OldMech · May 29, 2015, 11:09:14 PM

Is there syrup in the cells in the brood chamber? Another possibility... Probably not if you looked that close.. Drawing a blank...

craneman54 · May 29, 2015, 11:20:36 PM

OldMech---

QuoteIs there syrup in the cells in the brood chamber?

Yes but they are still working on building comb in the box. There is some comb on only about six frames. You could be right that the queen is holding off laying till they get more comb ready.

buzzbee · May 30, 2015, 09:08:39 AM

Craneman, don't overfeed. If they fill all the cells with syrup, the queen can't lay eggs in them.

craneman54 · May 30, 2015, 09:29:13 AM

OK I can understand that. There is nectar/syrup in almost all the combs. very thing seems to be spread out over the combs.
Why would the queen put eggs in almost every frame that has drawn comb?
I have sat out there and not seen much pollen being brought in. Also very little pollen in the combs.
There is one frame that has a good patch of eggs with room to expand on that frame.