# Is there anything I should be doing now?



## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

What I would do (doesn't mean it is the correct thing to do):

If they are bringing in pollen you should still have a queen. I would order fondant and feed it to over winter them. If they don't make it clean the dead bees out and put your first swarm in the hive in the spring.

check out this thread for feeding fondant: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?302385-Wintering-in-warr%E9-hive-help


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## kayakbiker (Sep 3, 2014)

180 views to this question and only one answer? Is this because everyone realizes this is the gospel correct answer? Or no one knows about these hives, Or Warre folks keep their opionions to themselves, or they set up the hives and let the chips fall where they fall?
If I posted this question on the bee 101 Langstroth hive forum Id have 15 replies with people debating each other. Its crazy. Bee keeping is very complicated! Especially when you start out with a Warre and a Lang. Would I do it like that again? Let me think about that NO! haha! Id stick to one and get the other when I am old and retired.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I would leave them be and see what happens. It's getting late in the year to try to help much, and they have honey, and a young queen that may be laying soon. Not many bees, but she may lay up a bunch as she gets mated. I'd leave them bee and see what happens.


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## kayakbiker (Sep 3, 2014)

thehackleguy said:


> If they are bringing in pollen you should still have a queen. [/url]


I posted this question on 101 beekeeping. 
Yesterday, 10:26 PM #1 kayakbiker 
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Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
I have a hive that swarmed twice. I have about 1000 bees left in the original hive, no brood or eggs but have a box of hatched brood comb and a box of honey. I also thought I spotted the queen. Bees few bees left are still bringing in pollen. In another forum I was asking a question regarding this hive and some wrote that, "If bees are bringing in pollen then you have a queen." Is this true in most cases or no?
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Yesterday, 10:34 PM #2 RayMarler 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
I say that bees bring in pollen if they have a laying queen OR if they have brood to feed. They slow down or stop when no brood to feed or if the queen is a just emerged virgin and no brood to feed. As the virgin mates, they start bringing in pollen again. Is how it seems to me with my hives here.
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Today, 03:49 AM #3 sqkcrk 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
Hive that don't have queens are really good at collecting pollen and nectar too. I have had queenless colonies that were really productive. I figure that the adult bees don't have anything to do but forage and if there is something to forage for they really get to it.
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Today, 05:40 AM #4 David LaFerney 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
I have observed residual bees from a queenless shake out - no queen, no brood, no frames or comb - bringing in pollen.
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Today, 06:05 AM #5 Joseph Clemens 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
A direct answer is: No, it is not true.

More specifically: Queen, no queen, brood, no brood, usually makes little difference in how a hive forages. If forage is available, some hives are good at utilizing it, some are not. Their queen or brood status doesn't always affect that, though, with some bees, it can.
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Today, 07:01 AM #6 stan.vick 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
I think the reason you have answers that are different may be due to factors such as location, ( i.e. what's available ) maybe laying workers, and mostly the genetics of the bees.
I will have a queenless colony that is bringing in some pollen with an active population, but most likely they are bringing in very little of anything, just kind of hanging out and lazy.
I can walk through the apiary and usually spot the colony that is queenless by the amount of activity and the number of bees bringing in pollen " related to how much the rest are bringing in " does not always work but does so enough that I use the pollen observation as a tool. But we all know when it comes to bees nothing is absolute, and none of us are "experts"
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Today, 07:13 AM #7 squarepeg 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
i would answer 'sometimes'.

i have had two or three occasions that little or no pollen coming in at the entrance (when there was a lot of pollen coming into other hives) prompted an inspection that lead to the finding of queenlessness.

i have also seen queenless/broodless colonies bringing in pollen.
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Today, 12:42 PM #8 Michael Bush 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
>Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?

False. I've seen queenless bees hauling pollen like crazy and plugging up the entire brood nest with it.
Michael Bush bushfarms.com/bees.htm "Everything works if you let it." ThePracticalBeekeeper.com 40y 200h 37yTF
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Today, 03:09 PM #9 homesteader824 
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Re: Is it true that bees only bring in Pollen when they have a queen?
I've seen bees here bringing in pollen as late as December. I'm sure there was no brood then. Also, some beekeepers make their hives queenless to increase honey production. Without brood to care for, nurse bees are freed up to forage. So it seems that if there is pollen or nectar available, the bees will be hauling it in.


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## kayakbiker (Sep 3, 2014)

RayMarler said:


> I would leave them be and see what happens. It's getting late in the year to try to help much, and they have honey, and a young queen that may be laying soon. Not many bees, but she may lay up a bunch as she gets mated. I'd leave them bee and see what happens.


Thanks guys for your suggestions. Ill see if I can get some feed on them when things stop coming it and leave them for the winter and see what happens.


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

kayakbiker said:


> I posted this question on 101 beekeeping.
> Yesterday, 10:26 PM #1 kayakbiker
> Join Date
> Sep 2014
> ...


That is why I said "should", it may not be exact in every case but I wouldn't totally discount it.


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