IF THE QUEEN IS DEAD?

[Propaniac]

I had to clean up some frames the other day and could not locate the queen. If for some reason i killed her in the process, what would be some signs to see in the bees the next few days or so? thanks

[Michael Bush]

In four days if you don't see eggs somehwere then you probably killed the queen. Bees act oddly opposite sometimes when a queen is gone. Sometimes they get lethargic and unmotivated. Sometimes they get hot and agiated. Sometimes they stop hauling pollen. Sometimes they haul pollen like there is no tomorrow and plug the entire hive up with it. Listening is probably the most useful. A queenless hive tends to have a disonannt (off key) sound to it. A queen right hive tends to have a nice harmonious hum to it.

[Zarka]

I may have a dead queen. I find some new queen cells and larvae, plus a bunch of drone cells but can't see any eggs. Now I might not be able to see the eggs, but I don't really know how big they are. HOw big are they? I looked in cells adjacent to larvae and couldn't find any tiny white dots. How tiny though? Do I need a magnifying glass?

How long does it take the small new larvae to get big enough to cap? If I don't see fresh larvae in 3-5 days should I kill all the queen cells and put in a new queen?

[George Fergusson]

Zarka, I've got a picture of eggs I'll post when I find it. They're small, maybe about 1 mm long (guessing) but you should be able to see them without a magnifier unless your eyes are really poor. Mine aren't great but I can see them OK, it's mostly a matter of the right lighting.. getting light to the bottom of the cell, easiest to do with the sun behind your back.

[divebee]

Those eggs are sure tiny, but definately got to be looking for those eggs every time you open a hive. They are laid, standing on their end, and got to have good light to see them. If sunlight is not good in your location you may want to get a little maglight flashlight to keep handy to shine down in the cells to have a look. They look like a tiny tiny grain of rice, standing on end. I can see them with plain sight, but if you havent seen them before, you may use a magnifying glass until you see them the first time. If you cant find the queen that is the next best thing to prove she's still there. Eggs hatch in 3 days, so if eggs present she has been there within the last 3 days. (Assuming you dont have a laying worker situation)

[George Fergusson]

Found that picture. A couple of eggs are visible in these cells:

http://www.sweettimeapiary.com/pics/eggs.jpg

If you figure the cells are 5.4 mm wide then the eggs do seem to be something on the order of about 1 mm long and as divebee says, they're typically standing on end, in the center of the cell.

[Sundance]

Eggs are indeed tiny and with eyes like mine I need good light!!

Keep your eye out for the eggs as MB and other have said.

[Zarka]

Thanks for the help. There were no eggs, so I ordered a new queen and cut out the new queen cells.

For future reference, could you please help answer a few basic questions:

Is it better to a) kill the queen cells and buy a new one or b) let them succeed naturally, or c) keep the queen cells around for a few days and cut the cells out only when the new queen has arrived?

If succeeding naturally, how do you know if/when one queen has launched and come back?

How do you ensure she comes back to your hive and not go somewhere else?

How do you prevent another queen from hatching and taking half the hive?

Is there any way to know any of this when you work 9-5 Monday thru Friday and can't stay home to watch the hive door?

[Michael Bush]

>Is it better to a) kill the queen cells and buy a new one

I never destroy queen cells. I just put them in a nuc or leave them in the hive.

>or b) let them succeed naturally

My preference.

> or c) keep the queen cells around for a few days and cut the cells out only when the new queen has arrived?

I'd just let them raise the queen, but you will need to remove them to get them to accept a new queen.

>If succeeding naturally, how do you know if/when one queen has launched and come back?

Give her two weeks from emergence. 25 days from queenlessness.

>How do you ensure she comes back to your hive and not go somewhere else?

You don't. She does.

>How do you prevent another queen from hatching and taking half the hive?

Bees don't swarm becaue there's a spare queen, they swarm because they have planned to (in the spring) or because they are overcrowded (in the summer).

>Is there any way to know any of this when you work 9-5 Monday thru Friday and can't stay home to watch the hive door?

Look for eggs.