# failing queen



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I can only tell you what I might do in your situation. From what you've said of the inspection, I would pinch that queen and join the nuc into that hive. That's one of the reasons for having nucs, is to use them to requeen failing hives.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

That's how I was leaning. I wondered if by joining to a strong hive would I get more orange blossom honey? It's my most popular selling honey. I have nuks though, so no reason not to go that way. Thanks.

Last year I would have left it alone and I've had it go both ways on that choice. Colony loss, or requeening themselves. Each is a honey production loss and I don't want that to happen now.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

Make sure it is not a disease before uniting with another.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Good point Velbert, I will do that before I combine. Thanks.


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

european foulbrood can show up this time of year. Look for larva that look like they are melting. Also look for chalkbrood.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Tim B said:


> european foulbrood can show up this time of year. Look for larva that look like they are melting. Also look for chalkbrood.


I'm headed out this afternoon to do something about the hive--hopefully they are ok. Thanks for the tips!


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

I have not been able to upload pics for awhile now. It's my computer I believe. I have dropbox but I don't know how to post an individual picture. 

So I will have to describe. There is no disease. Capping and larvae look healthy. No chalkbrood. I took a pic of a frame I brought home and it won't upload. Dang. Anyway, yesterday I caught the queen in a hair roller style catcher, and took 2 frames of brood and a medium frame of honey, brought them home. This morning I moved them to a 5 frame nuk with 2 more drawn frames, one had lots of pollen and nectar. 

The brood frame(s) has a lot of capped brood on a good portion of the frame, but it also has lots of patches of empty cells, and many scattered single empty cell. I left 3 frames of open brood (some containing all stages of brood I am assuming) in the original hive in case I decide let them raise another queen. 

This queen did well last year. She is a store bought queen that I got last April and did a split from another hive. They built up over summer, and in fall produced 2 supers of honey. I left one, took one. 

If she is failing, does that affect the brood I left behind as far as letting them raise a queen from them? I had planned to use this particular hive to get some new queens.

I didn't snuff her because I need a backyard nuk to use for demonstration. I have a co-worker asking for a year now if she can bring her grandkids over to see what beekeeping is all about. I have this just outside back patio so that I can show them all and teach from the patio door, instead of dressing each one at a time to take them to a regular hive.


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

Is is also possible that the brood that you are seeing is drone brood laid in worker cells. When a queen becomes sterile the brood will often be spotty but what is capped will be rounded up like a bullet. In that case they will not be able to raise a new queen and you'll need to get a frame with good eggs from another hive.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks Tim, the capped is flat worker cells. I saw a bit of drone brood around the edge of one of the frames, I'm familiar with what that looks like. Thanks for your help.
Bef


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

I'd let her keep working. That's plenty of brood, just a little spotty which could be because of the weather or resources.


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## Bengoblue (Apr 10, 2012)

Combining with a solid nuc would likely be your quickest fix, I agree with pinching the old queen and doing away with the current queen cup. The bees are resilient and should take care of the details.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Forgive the dumb question here. Trying to learn and asking questions related to this that popped in my mind. 

Could the patches of empty cells and single cells be from bees culling cells with mites and those around it? Some type of hygienic behavior?


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Yes I think it could be that too--and here is something I found from Randy Oliver doing an internet search on my question:

http://buffalobeefarm.blogspot.com/2011/03/failing-queen-or-hygenic-behavior.html

At Michael Bush teaching I went to last fall in West Palm Beach, he showed us comb that had hygienic behavior which was individual empty cells, like shown in the picture of this link.


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