# Build up Blues



## edenver (Oct 21, 2010)

I'm having the same problem, Installed a package last April and they did great through the summer and winter but this spring they haven't build up. The Bee's are housed in a Warre hive. By the end of last summer they had felled up two box's, They should have, by now, moved down into the third box. The Weather here in Calif. this spring has been cool one day and then hot the next. Don't know if this is the problem.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Hooday, sounds like you do not have a queen. You say there is drone cells with larvae around it, and its kind of spotty... that is a clear sign of a drone layer (unmated or petered out queen), or laying workers. Go through the hive thoroughly to see if there is a queen... if so, get another queen and replace her... if no queen, get a frame of brood (eggs and larvae) each week for three weeks or until they get some nice queen cells going on those brood frames... if you can get queen cells from a local supplier, that will usually work instead of the brood... this is all just to reverse the laying worker situation... after they get a new queen hatched and accepted, you can smash and replace like normal again. 

Not sure about the substance that you are seeing in the lower parts of the combs... if you could take a pic of it, may be able to help you out.

Hope this helps.

Edenver,

What strain of bees do you have?


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Edenver are you able to open the hive and check the brood etc, or is it not moveable comb?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Hooday said:


> Welp, I'm in my third year of beekkeeping and I'm having troubles.
> 
> the bees don't seem to be using the bottom box hardly at all.
> 
> ...


"Welp"? Must be a typo. Threw me off at first.

Not using the bottom box? Are they in the bottom box?

Looks mostly like drone caps, w/ larvae around. Sounds like laying worker.

Dark and uneven 3 year old comb? How dark? All of it or like someone washed it w/ a stain? Nosema/dysentary perhaps?

Substance in the bottom of the cells, sounds like AFB. 

Can't get a nuc cause you use mediums? Maybe it's time to consider using deeps? No one says you have to use more than one per colony. It can be left on the bottom. So you'll never have to lift it. Lifting a deep being what I hear as the maion reason n ot to use deeps.

It's good that you are asking questions here. Read your own post as if someone else had written it and see if you have ideas why things are the way they are. there is a reason. None of it is magical or because of breaking a beekeeping law. Could be a single reason or a bunch of misconceptions. Life happens and this is part of life.

Have you had an Inspector come be and look things over w/ you? Call them and tell them you think you may have a case of AFB, but you aren't sure and need their trained eye.

Best of luck.


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

It does read like you have more than one box on. How many boxes do they have?

With drawn comb you would expect them to take off quickly with a good queen.

Tom


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