Late Season Queen Loss
D. Conlon / Warm Colors Apiary
I have been receiving calls looking for mated Queens in October. This is disturbing to me as it demonstrates the poor preparation we are giving our new beekeepers. Asking for mated Queens this late in the season shows a lack of understanding of some very basic behavior and seasonal dynamics in the honeybee colony. Not to blame the victim, so read the following as a brief explanation of why late season re-queening is a poor management strategy, and the available remedies are less then desirable. Resources (yes size of your apiary matters) in the form of number of colonies. Queens with worker support offer the only solution to saving a late season Queen less hive.
As we approach mid-October finding a hive Queen less is a serious problem. Little can be done to introduce a new Queen. In fact, it is unlikely a mated Queen can be purchased this late in the season and even if successfully introduced is unlikley to survive winter. Replacing Queens should be done in August. This allows time to lay a round or two of brood before the Queen shuts down laying for the winter. It is a fact supported by numerous studies; that a queen surrounded by her daughters is four times more likely to survive the winter then one support by unrelated workers. Late season re-queening that does not allow time for a Queen to lay and hatch her direct offspring. Without her offspring she is more likely to fail during the winter. So when you call me for a Queen in October know my answer will not be encouraging. Even in Georgia, my suppliers stop rearing Queens in September due to the poor quality & lack of sufficient drones for mating.
Southern producers stop rearing Queens in September, and most of us in the North have re-queened in August, or combined weak hives using our best Queens to carry us through winter. So what are the options when you discover you have a Queen less hive late in the fall?
1) First, are you really Queen less? You must see the Queen if inspecting in late September or October. Queens are finished laying eggs when foraging ends and temperatures drop to freezing nights, and 50F degree-days. Russian or Carniolan Queens stop earlier then Italians so you cannot determine Queenlessness by the lack of eggs or brood from September on into late fall. You must confirm the Queen's presence by seeing her not the presence of eggs, larvae or capped brood. Have you marked your Queens? This is one time when a brightly marked Queen really make a difference. By the way, a lack of honey and pollen will stop brood rearing earlier and means you will lose the colony to winter starvation.
· If the colony has many drones in October then it is probable you have a Queen less situation. A colony with a Queen has forced most of the drones out of the hive this late in the fall. This has been particularly true this year after the long dry summer and less than normal honey production.
· Late season Queen Cells are an indication that the colony is attempting to replace the Queen. September and later Queen Cells are rarely successful as drones and conditions no longer support successful mating. It is also likely that there are no viable larvae available to be transformed into a Queen.
2) Therefore, you know, for sure, there is no Queen in the hive. This is confirmed by repeated studies to account for 20% of failed hives every winter. A Queen less hive will not survive the winter. What to do?
· Combine with a stronger Queen right colony – preferred action. One very good reason to keep hives as pairs. Understand that you can split an over-wintered hive that is strong, but you cannot split two weak hives that have died. One strong hive is worth two or three weak colonies in the spring.
· Add a Queen on a comb of her workers (or brood) – The second best manipulation. Queens not support by her direct offspring rarely survive the winter. Pheromones or daughters do a better job of caring for their mother. In other words, it is not simply a matter of successfully introducing a Queen; she must have the support of her offspring, or time to produce offspring that cares for her. In October, it is unlikely either is possible unless you manage multiple colonies. I keep a dozen strong Nuc colonies to cover the late season Queen less situations (no they are not for sale). Yes, keeping an extra Nuc for your apiary is a good management practice.
· Do nothing and the colony will fail – failure is guaranteed.
3) Desperate times, desperate measures. I never support the notion that you do nothing to save your bees. If doing nothing is your automatic reaction to difficult management decisions, then get out of beekeeping. All beekeepers find themselves in these difficult positions, when, how, and what to do, but as a guitar player friend once said "it doesn't matter what you practice, but practice something". In other words, do not desert your bees by taking no action; make some attempt to save them – even if action is not likely to succeed.
My final advice is to take charge of your beekeeping. What you say? Stop seeing beekeeping as a commodity that you buy off the shelf. Honeybees are an incredible species deserving of our best efforts to raise and protect them. At this time we are failing the honeybee by leaving it to others to fix their/our problems. Yes, we all start somewhere, but those of us who see each other as capable beekeepers also respect those who have reached a sustainable level of beekeeping. This is the goal all beekeepers should be striving to accomplish. Keeping your bees alive and having the ability to replace colonies from your strongest hives, is sustainable beekeeping. The bees need competent managers. As someone once said, "Don't be a bee haver, be a bee keeper".
Dan Conlon
President Massachusetts Beekeepers Association
Warm Colors Apiary
2 South Mill River
South Deerfield, MA 01373
warmcolors@verizon.net
warmcolorsapiary.com
413-665-4513
Hope this help you
BEE HAPPY Jim 134