How's the hiving looking?

**norcalpublicnews** · 08-25-2009, 08:12 AM

I put up another short video on Youtube.

Thanks for all the constructive ideas and thoughts!

**bakerboy** · 08-25-2009, 08:32 AM

I think you might be in trouble there. I see only shotgun scattered drone brood
and lots of capped honey on those end frames. Is there worker brood that I can't see in the movie ?

**Dave W** · 08-25-2009, 09:46 AM

I see only a few cells of drone brood in worker cells and very, very few bees.
I too "think you might be in trouble"

I see gloves, veil, coveralls and flip-flops.
Now theres a combination

**honeyman46408** · 08-25-2009, 09:46 AM

I am with bakerboy on this one I dont see worker brood either and dont see enough bees for the second box.

Can you see worker brood? Did you see the queen? Did you see eggs?

**D Coates** · 08-25-2009, 10:41 AM

I'd say you have a huge queen problem. There don't seem to be enough worker bees to survive the winter and there appear to be no new ones being made. If you don't find any worker eggs in a good pattern I'd bet that you've got a drone laying queen or a laying worker. Get a queen ASAP haul your all of your frames 40 to 50 yards away and shake all of the bees off of every frame. (...don't be wearing sandles) The bees will fly back to the hive (put the bee free frames back in once they've been cleared). A laying worker or queen will not be able to fly back and will hopefully not secessfully return. Make sure to have a new queen in the box (still caged) for when they return. Once released hopefully the queen will start laying like a mad dog. Be sure to feed as much as you can.

Sorry to sound so pesimistic (I'm actually very optimistic) but you need to act fast to try to save your hive.

**norcalpublicnews** · 08-25-2009, 02:34 PM

AH!!!!!!!!! Thanks all of you. I have gotten a response like this on YouTube also... I am ordering a Queen today. I noticed way less bees about a 2 weeks ago... I guess this is why.

Thanks everyone!

**Hambone** · 08-25-2009, 03:02 PM

Your sandals look good. At least you got that going for ya.

**NasalSponge** · 08-25-2009, 03:58 PM

The problem you have run into is also why most beeks will tell new ones to start with at least two hives. If you had a second queenright hive you could take frames of eggs from it to put into this hive to make a queen. To introduce a new queen into a hive with laying workers is not so easy...see D Coates post above about shaking the bees into the grass (or maybe sand in your case)

Keep us informed and hang in there!

The youtube responses are from a Beesource member named Josh Carmack!!

**walking bird** · 08-25-2009, 04:16 PM

Given it's this late in the year, and knowing how my own mite population as exploded, I think it's possible your hive was heavily impacted by mites, and your queen is either gone or pooped out. You've got no fresh brood I could see, no capped brood other than drones (which may be nothing but dead pupae in there, as the mites like them best). You've got a very low population of bees in a single hive body.

I'm going to join the pessimistic ranks here. I don't think this hive has a chance of replenishing with just a queen. Instead of a queen, consider trying to get a local nuc and combine.

**norcalpublicnews** · 08-26-2009, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by walking bird

Given it's this late in the year, and knowing how my own mite population as exploded, I think it's possible your hive was heavily impacted by mites, and your queen is either gone or pooped out. You've got no fresh brood I could see, no capped brood other than drones (which may be nothing but dead pupae in there, as the mites like them best). You've got a very low population of bees in a single hive body.

I'm going to join the pessimistic ranks here. I don't think this hive has a chance of replenishing with just a queen. Instead of a queen, consider trying to get a local nuc and combine.

I saw this happen about 2-3 weeks ago. There seemed to be less bees... Then I saw small, undeveloped bees being drug out of the hive. That seems to have stopped, but now.... well you see. I have a queen on the way from Mikes Bees, nice guy by the way. I hope she can do the work. If not, any thoughts on over wintering them with such a small population? I was going to get some pollen cakes and feed them like crazy after I get this queen. If it doesn't work out, I have my first year of experience under my belt, and I'll try again next year.

**norcalpublicnews** · 08-26-2009, 10:08 AM

Does anyone have an opinion on keeping those large superceed cells, if that's what they are, or knocking them off the frames?

**norcalpublicnews** · 08-26-2009, 10:40 AM

Anyone know if introducing a queen to a laying worker hive will be a waste of time? Are they going to kill the queen? If this doesn't work out, what should I do with the frames full of honey and pollen? Should I save them? Freeze them? then give it to the new bees come spring?

Thanks again for all the advice and council!

**walking bird** · 08-29-2009, 11:37 PM

It's my understanding that a hive with a laying worker will kill a queen. You have to go through a lot of gyrations to rid the hive of the laying worker, and then introduce the queen.

But if we're still talking about that same hive--- you mentioned in a follow-up that dead pupae were being evicted. I'm feeling even more strongly that your hive was decimated by mites, and any effort to replenish with just a queen is probably futile.

That said--- if you're introducing a queen, you have to get rid of supercedure cells. But in my one quick look at your video I didn't see any; just lots of drone cells (which i suspect may contain dead drone brood).

I lost my first hive to mites, so you're not alone in this. I tried an emergency treatment of thymol, did it poorly, some robbing started, and what was left of my hive just took off for parts unknown. One day I opened it up, and there was nobody home. They just got fed up with the lousy living conditions and left. Chances are yours will do the same.