east coast new hive woes

[drmwarden]

Last week the state (Maryland) apiary inpection officer arrived at my home.  Unfortunately I wasn't there, but my husband spoke to him.  As I had realized, the new hive I installed this spring was queenless, despite two additional attempts at replacing the queen.  The inspector told me that this has been a problem all over the east coast of the US.  Has anyone else heard this?  I had already given up on this colony (after unsuccessful attempts including providing brood from my established hive), and this weekend I think the established bees finally started robbing the weak hive.  I figure I will try again next spring, but I'm wondering how to aviod this again next year.

[leominsterbeeman]

The inspector told me that this has been a problem all over the east coast of the US. Has anyone else heard this?

I have had problems getting hives to accept new queens that I installed.   They have killed my replacement queens.  I still blame this more om my efforts than on the bees' bad behavior.    But I read a lot in Bee Culture of many beekeepers having the same problems.  So right now I chaulk it up to just a coinsidence.     I have a few other theories, but don't have enough (any) evidence.  

I got my packages from Hardeman....
I got my replacment queens from
1 - Allen's in California
2 - Betterbee (don't know were they came from, but they were accepted)

[Michael Bush]

If you're having problems with acceptance, try a push in cage over emerging brood after a minimum of 2hours of queenlessness.  It's about as good as it gets.  If you have laying workers I'd either shake them out or put in a frame of open brood and then another frame a week later.  The pheromones from the open brood should supress the laying workers enough that they will start a queen cell.  Once they start a queen cell they are ready for a queen.  You can then destroy the queen cell and introduce a queen.  If they don't start a queen cell, then I'd shake them out.

[Stingtarget]

Same problem.  My Italian hive had two queens in the package...one in the cage and one in the general population.  Installed queen cage and killed marked queen in population as she was last years color. They accepted caged queen.  She laid about an 8 inch circle and quit....turned up missing.  Waited for supercedures to hatch out...still no queen.  Placed a frame of Russian brood in Italian hive.  Checked three weeks later. They made a queen cell but I didn't notice it until I had purchased a new queen.  I removed the queen cell and put in new queen cage.  Workers covered the cage immediately.  Checked 5 days later and queen was released.  Checked yesterday and no larvae....after 9 days of being released.  I'm not doing anything else for them...they won't accept a queen.  Hopefully all the rain and cooler weather has prevented her from laying just yet.  End of next week I'll know for sure.  If they are queenless....they'll be queenless from now on!!  I'll let them die out over winter but will for now take advantage of their comb building....what little they draw out.  Next year will start with fresh package if evidence of Queen doesn't show up in next few weeks.

[Michael Bush]

If your queens get accepted but keep dying I'd look at possible contamination buildup in the wax combs.  Check mite acculation will do this as will lipophillic (likes fat) pesticides.

[buck]

If you have another hive you could combine your queenless hive with it and split it later with another queen then.