Help-No summer Brood - Is this normal?

[Richard Seiler]

I am a newbie with a couple of hives trying to figure out if the lack of any real capped brood this time of year is normal. Down here in Texas it has been consistently around 100 degrees. I found my queens and the bees are not starting new queen cells. How many brood frames, if any, should I expect in the heat of the summer? When will the queens start laying again? Should I start feeding to spur new laying?

This is a cool learning experience, but I sure am in the dark. Your help is appreciated. rds.

[snoopybee]

You may not have enough ventilation. Had that problem with a nuc-- moved them to reg box with screened bottom board ans fed them. Started laying immediately. I'm in DFW area.

Ray

[Richard Seiler]

I have Top Bar Hives. I guess I will remove the divider board, open up the whole hive and allow some cross-ventilation. I will skip over to the TBH forum and see
what the good people there suggest. rds.

[goose]

If you're nectar and pollen sources are currently dried up, the queen will likely stop laying until supplies resume.

[Richard Seiler]

We are in a pretty good drought right now. Is it normal to go for long periods with no brood at all? They have plenty of honey and pollen stored, should I be feeding more during this time of no nectar to encourage laying? rds.

[okb]

How long since you stopped feeding them? Is there room to lay or are they honey bound?

If honey bound give her more room to lay. ie empty comb.

[Richard Seiler]

I gave them some more frames, they were pretty honey-bound. But won't they clean up and use the empty comb that has already been used for brood? rds.

[Ross]

Yes, they will lay in old comb pretty much indefinitely.

[Oldbee]

"Down here in Texas it has been consistently around 100 degrees".

From: "The Beekeepers Handbook: 100^ F. ambient air: all brood rearing stops [STOPS], the colony needs water to cool hive".

From: 'Hive and the Honey Bee'. "Temperature control is one of the areas where the beekeeper can assist his bees with minimal effort on his [now,hers/his] part.
"At temperatures over 92 ^ F., the bee brood will begin to overheat and die".

"The beekeeper's contribution to temperature control are basically in apiary SELECTION, PAINTING the hives, providing an adequate WATER source and providing SHADE WHEN APPROPRIATE".

I don't live in the great state of Texas and have never kept bees there; have a TBH, or,..experienced,....days and days,..or weeks on end with temperatures in the 90's! I don't know what it's like to,..........."keep bees",.....in,..TEXAS.

[Ross]

Mine are still brood rearing in a 100 degree heat, but they are on a mesquite flow and about 100 feet from a pond. I would say it is most likely lack of nectar. Feed if you want more bees.

[hsbcapt]

I live in the Hill Country in Central Texas. I too am new to Beekeeping. My bees have all but stopped making brood also. I have a 1 acre pond about 125' from my hives but its just been so dang hot. I find them by the hundreds near the bank, seems like they just like to suck water from the mud instead of getting to close to the water. Never enjoyed working with something like this ever before . I sure hope they do ok.

[Michael Bush]

If they swarmed there will likely be no brood somewhere in the sequence of events. If the queen was killed, or superseded, they may be no brood. If there's a dearth there may be no brood. If they are actually queenless, of course, there will be no brood.