No brood!

[FredBorn]

Help.

I think I got a problem. I have 3 hives. One seems to be doing ok; brood, stores or pollen and honey and seems to be vigorous. Though I didn't see the queen.

The other 2 - stores of pollen and honey but --

For the last 2 weeks one hives has no brood and I could not find the queen and I have looked on 2 different occasions.

The other hive is the same except it has a small (about the size of your hand) patch of capped brood. I saw the queen in this one - I think - she looked small, thin, emancipated.

About 2 weeks ago when I noticed this I thought that there was a dearth of necter - they were and still are bringing in lots of pollen - so I started feeding.  Each of the 3 hives is taking about 2 quarts of feed a day. I am mixing corn syrup from Dadant 50/50 with water.

Any sugggestions - don't want to loose 2 hives.

Should I requeen?

Combine the 2 weak hives?

Put some brood from the stronger hive in?

Thanks

fred citrus coounty Florida

[manowar422]

I saw the queen in this one - I think - she looked small, thin, emancipated.

Fred,
Could this "smaller" queen be a virgin not yet mated?
She would be smaller if not mated yet.

Are your queens marked?

Try looking for queens without using your smoker,
sometimes they run from the smoke and can be
very difficult to find.

If you can find ONLY ONE live queen in the two weak hives,
try to buy a replacement queen, Though it's kinda late in
the season, or combine them.

[Michael Bush]

If they cut back on rearing brood then they slim down the queen.  I haven't seen brood for a month.  I would guess you'd have a broodless period there also, even if you are further south.

[FredBorn]

Crisis!

Well since my last email on this and getting the various replys I decided to try and requeen.

So I purchased 2 queens from Miksa in Groveland. Even went to pick them up so no time would be lost.

Went out tonight to put them in and of the 2 hives which were in trouble - the better one was TOTALLY empty - no bees - no stores - no brood etc. The other was about how I had seen it 2 days ago.

The hive that was left I requeeened and added a super full of bees to if from my best hive using the newspaper method. Hope it works!!

 What could have happened? to the otehr hive which went from weak to nothing in 2 days?

fred Citrus county

[Finsky]

The hive that was left I requeeened and added a super full of bees to if from my best hive using the newspaper method. Hope it works!!

I am not sure what has happened. If you take bees and put in nabour hive, bees will fly back to home during  24 hours. They miss their queen  and are in a hurry to go home. Then perhaps become and rob that new home.

It must be done this way: You give 2 frames of emerging bees. Old bees return home and after couple of day hive has only those bees which have borned in new hive.  When nuc is stable  after 3-4 days you may give them a new queen.

Otherwise you must move nuc 3 miles so bees cannot return their home.  Bees start to raise new queens. They are not happy to take new queen. After  their emercengy queen cells are capped after 5 days, they accept new gueen easily.

When nuc has started you add emerging brood frames so you get one box full of bees. That needs 3 frames emerging brood. And take all adult bees from frame when you add it into nuc.