Lazy bees......

[middlesattrefarm]

I have a hive that is puzzling at best.
They have a good laying queen, capped and sealed brood, but are small in colony size, and I see little or no foraging going on.
They have had way to much honey in there, (a full deep), and I have replaced the four center frames with empty brood combs.
I have been reducing the size of this hive, from 3 deeps, to now 2 deeps, and am now thinking, single? As it stands at 1pm today, they have 2-3 frames of bees, 1/2 a frame of brood, and the queen is laying a good pattern(2nd year queen).
OPTIONS- I thought of adding brood, but that seems bad, not enough bees as it is.
Switching stands with a power house to pick up field force? Good and thinking about it.
Also- I could combine in a four framer with bees using the paper method.
The only real problem is- what the?@#$is going on with this colony?

[simplyhoney]

What has your nightly average temp been? what has your day temp been? where are you? Have you seen ANY signs of brood disease? How do the caps of the brood look? Just like your other hives?

[middlesattrefarm]

Decorah IA, average nightly lows have been in the 50's & 60's. I see eggs that look like they got smoked 2 weeks ago when it got down to the 40's. cappings look golden, and I have been doing the string test, (toothpick) for foulbrood, but, I need to look and see if there is any EFB. Everything looks the same as the other hives, just alot less of it.

[dickm]

Sometimes when a colony is very hygenic they will clean up a brood disease as it occurs. Even AFB. In these cases you never see the culprit. Something as common as chalkbrood would do it. The bees aren't replacing themselves. The bad news is they probably won't. AFB leaves a scale that you may need someone to show you. It's on the part of the cell nearest the bottom board and it can't be removed without destroying the cell. Get a mentor. Prepare to destroy this colony and move on. Been there, done that. Good luck.


Dickm

[hummingberd]

maybe try requeening. Can't hurt right? Don't give up, maybe they'll bounce back.

Good Luck...

:)

[middlesattrefarm]

These bees are very non-hygenic. I have to go with the idea of swapping locations. I took the queen out and placed her caged in a split, and introduced the queen that I wanted to release into the split into her hive. we'll see what happens. As to the move on suggestion, I've had 4 beekeepers stop by just to see what they think, and the hive is getting to be a local novelty. I am still working it for the learning experience. I have the belief that if you confront the puzzling BEFORE you have alot of hives you might learn something.
I was never one to sit up all night with a sick critter during my farming days, so I hear where your coming from.