Question Need Advice

[Gregg]

Was checking my hives today and found 1 that to me looks weak. Let me tell what I found or didnt find
The package bee's were placed April 24 , feed sugar water for many be 3weeks until they stoped drinking. Then looked healthy 3 weeks ago , bee's flying in and out, building combs, had filled out 7 frames in the brood box. So I added the super and let them along. Today , I found not nearly as many bee's in the hive as last checking. Hardly no bee's in the super, no comb makeing, no flying in or out just stilling there working the hive brooder.
So I added a feeder again. Plenty of nector around, orchard, garden, corn field, clover hay fields, ect.
So what could be happeing, this is my 1st yr to raise bee's and dont have anyone close to help me look for problems. Any help is needed.

[johnnybigfish]

Did you see any little babies(larva) or eggs?
 I just replied to a post a minute ago and mentioned about switching the hives around for foragers to switch places and trade hives. I dont think this will work if there is no queen.
Little babies and eggs mean that there is a queen..No babies and eggs mean no queen. No queen means trouble.
If you dont have a queen You will need one, either by buying one from a bee farm or trying a frame from another hive with eggs and brood on it and put it in the slow hive(you'll have to take a frame out of the slow hive so the other frame will fit)
 Or, like what i've also done ....Combine what you have left in the hive with the strong hive using the newspaper method.
 I'm assuming you have only 2 hives...This is DEFINITELY better than having only one hive...This leaves you options with more than one hive.
 My methods arent "By the book" sometimes. I'm only in my second year of beekeeping but i have had my share of questions and problems and i still have bees( a miracle! )
your friend,
john

[Moonshae]

I agree. Make sure you find evidence of a strong queen (eggs laid properly in cells, good brood pattern), if you can't find the queen herself. If you don't have any evidence, you need to check for laying workers and order a new queen, pronto. Alternatively, if you have a strong hive, take a frame with eggs out of it and swap it with the queenless hive, and let them raise their own. This will be slower than ordering a new queen by several weeks, however. You'll also still need to make sure there aren't laying workers.

If they're starving (if you don't see nectar or honey stored in the cells), they need to be fed. They'll eat eggs and young larvae if they can't support them.

 

[Gregg]

So I understand. go to the strong hive and get a frame that has eggs or lavra and move it to the weak hive.
Thanks, hope I got it right

[johnnybigfish]

You got it Gregg!
your friend,
john

[Gregg]

Hopefuly things will improve. I placed a frame from the strong hive in the weak one, it had 3 queen cells . I should see some improvment in the hive in a week or so. Thanks

[Gregg]

Checked the hive today and seems like there are many more bee's, foundations are starting to fill with brood so things are looking up