# A Queen and 1 worker



## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

Some Back Ground- This Observation hive was a single brood frame and an empty drawn deep and one shallow wax foundation, 3 frames total.
It has been weak all along but if there was an empty cell this Queen laid an egg in it.
It seamed like it was being robed all summer because there were always dead bees around the entrance.
At times both deep frames were full of brood and covered with bees, but the bees never touched the shallow frame other than to cluster on it at night.
In the fall they had all most filled both deep frames with winter stores with a small area on the bottom frame with some brood.
The hive is in our Sun Porch.
We put a heat pad under the hive and covered it with some heavy towels to help retain the heat as it is unheated in the winter.

My son was out in our sun porch today and looked at the Observation hive and asked were all the bees went?
The last I looked at it was about two weeks ago and there were still several hundred in it.
Well I brought the hive in the house and there is only 2 bee's in it.
The Queen and 1 worker?
Only about 4 dead bees on the bottom of the hive and nun out side, both frames are still mostly full of stores?
It's like they just up and left her.
I am thinking of just leaving them in the living room and see what happens?

Up date - My wife called me away from finishing this post and there are now 7 workers and the Queen.
We are going to leave them in the house and see what happens?


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## Oldtimer

There is a remote possibility that if brood is hatching and you keep the hive warm enough, they could pull through. Can't say what caused the original problem though.


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## drlonzo

With the dead bees around the entrance it would seem there may have been a mite problem, or since just the queen was left in the hive could always say CCD, but I think if it manages to live through the winter i'd take a sample and get them tested to figure it out for sure.


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## gone2seed

This is just a wild guess but since you kept the bees warmer than the outside air,is it possible they flew out into the cold and died outside?


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

gone2seed
We thought about that?
I do know that when we took temp readings on the bottom board it was between 65 & 70 constant with the heating pad.
We used an in fared thermometer.
This is a very cheep OV hive and I have plans to build a good one after I finish building hive bodies.

Thanks for the question.

They were feeding the Queen this morning and she looked like she was checking cells last night??


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## Michael Bush

You need at least a couple hundred bees to keep her alive. You may need a couple hundred more to even raise a little bit of brood... I often boost them when they dwindle on a warm day by shaking a handful of bees into a small box and have the box at the end of the to (or cut a hole just the size of the tube) so they smell the queen and move into the hive. I stack up some empty boxes to put that box on to get it in line with the tube.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

Thank You Michael
I was thinking about doing some thing like that as I have one hive here at home that is very strong and full of bees.
I left a supper on them because there were so many in this hive.
Now if it would just get above freezing for a day or two.


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## Tenbears

Three frames is not much, and depending on the hive configuration the heating pad may not be a very efficient way to heat a vertical hive. Do you have a picture of the hive set up? seeing what you are working with may give better insight as to the problem, although if you plan on upgrading the hive this summer, it may be a moot point.


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## Tenbears

gone2seed said:


> This is just a wild guess but since you kept the bees warmer than the outside air,is it possible they flew out into the cold and died outside?


Bees do not do that, I have an 8 frame Observation hive in a heated building and although it is constantly 70F in the building, the bees do not fly out unless the outdoors temperature in 50 or so.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

The Queen and her few attendants are still alive.
I have been putting out a few frames to feed back to my Full size hives and Nuc's and came up with a way to catch and release some bees to try to reboot this hive.
I know it may not work but I get to play with Bees in the down time.

Jim


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## Oldtimer

OK well if a lot of bees have not hatched by now the remaining brood is likely dead, and the few bees will not be enough to raise any.

So the only hope for it is to add some adult bees.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

Oldtimer
There was no brood in the hive.

UPDATE
I built a single frame OV hive with an entrance hole in the side at the same height as the OV hive with the Queen.
I placed a frame with some caped honey in the new OV hive with the lid open and a plug in the side hole.
The temp. was around 59 yesterday so I left this new hive set out for several hours.
Around 3 o:clock I closed it up with around a 500 bee's in it and removing the plug I slid it up to the entrance to the OV hive with the Queen in it.
This morning they have mostly moved in to the 3 frame hive and there is a steady flow of bee's moving the honey stores in with the Queen. They are feeding her and cleaning cells. 

Michael: This is a twist on what you do and I am doing it on the Dinning room table and the wife is enjoying it.
She insist she will NOT work the hives though.

I have 14 hives here at the house so I don't think taking these few bees will hurt any of them.

Now we wait and see what happens next?
I have to get one of my son's to show me how to do pictures?


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## Harley Craig

so you trapped 500 old forragers ?


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## jwcarlson

Hoot Owl Lane Bees said:


> Oldtimer
> There was no brood in the hive.


Then how did it go from 1 worker to 7 workers once you brought it in the house?


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees

I think they were in the exit pipe or under the feeder jar?
When the hive warmed up is when we saw the others.

Old foragers are better than no bee's.
The Queen was checking cells last night and she is being fed by these old ladies.

Remember I am just doing this to see what happens?


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