queen question

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queen question

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whiteoak

Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 2

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 09 6:04 pm Post subject: queen question

a quick question. I have one hive with a red marked queen who was laying really well till a couple of weeks ago. On inspection there were a handfull of queen cells 4 on the face of frames one off the bottom. I thought that it was probably space pressure as there were a couple of frames yet to be drawn out, so i removed them and spread the brood. Again last week there were a couple more which i again removed. This week on inspection the queen is still present and again there are a handfull of queen cells, but very very few eggs have been laid. Is this the queen failing, should i kill her and leave just a couple of queen cells, or is there (probably) a better option.
The nuc was inspected independently by a BBKA member and given a clean bill of health when i collected it.

thanks all

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 09 6:20 pm Post subject:
Hello, welcome to the forum. If it was me I'd be ringing up my local BKA not least because other people will be very grateful for your excess queen cells what ever you decide to do. However someone more experienced than me will be along soon.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 09 8:01 pm Post subject:

Sounds to me that she's struggling for space - they've decided to swarm so slowed down her laying to get her ready to fly - when she's in full lay she's constantly fed food to keep her condition but it also means she'd find it very difficult to fly

As she's in swarm mode she's not likely to be laying many eggs at all

Are they on single or double brood? If single you should have split the brood into 2 brood chambers and back filled with undrawn frames - that would have given her enough space to lay into

However I would say at the moment (having had 2 swarms to deal with in a week from 1 colony) that they are determined to swarm and so the best way to deal with it is to artifically swarm them into a nuc

Get the Queen plus a frame of sealed brood with no Queen cells and 2 of food plus 2 new frames into a nuc box with lots of nurse bees - put them on a different site and feed them

Or alternatively leave the Queen on the original site and remove the best Queen cells in to the nuc and kill the rest - you need more space not less - Taking the undrawn frames out has just made things worse

I'd agree with Jamanda that you should speak to someone more experienced in the local BKA just for advice but don't kill the Queen at the moment - you might need her

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 09 8:38 pm Post subject:
They could be trying to supersede her or as Jo says preparing to swarm. If it was me I would perform an artificial swarm & if the old queen hasn't recommenced laying after a week or two you can unite her bees back to the young queen after removing the old queen. If you kill her now you may be jumping the gun & destroying a useful matriarc especially as she is only one year old.

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