Queen Stopped Laying

[Risky Beesness]

Opened one of my new hives today that I started from a package back in April. They had been doing well and still appear to have good numbers. The brood pattern was very spotty and I didn't see any larvae. Found the marked queen and she appeared to be healthy. No sign of SHB or anything else that I could tell. I added a frame of brood, larvae, and eggs to them to see if they make another queen. What would make her stop laying or become a poor layer. We have slipped back into a drought again and everything is starting to turn brown with temps approaching 100 degrees.

[dixiebooks]

"...We have slipped back into a drought again and everything is starting to turn brown..."

You've answered your own question, I think. -James

[Lburou]

I have two queens that have stopped layaing eggs too. I'm new to this hotter part of Texas, but local beekeepers report cessation of laying when it gets hot enough. We've had 105 F in the apiary this week, more than once.

[Live Oak]

Try putting out to pollen substitute dry feed. When the flow of pollen drops off, the queen will usually cut back on laying or stop althogether. I am feeding mine Mannlake Ultra Bee dry feed right now. I do it for a couple of reasons, #1 is to try to keep the queen laying and #2 is to try to keep as many bees as possible out of agricultural crop fields that have likely been treated in the seed with Clothiniadin.

[Risky Beesness]

I considered the drought, but after inspecting the other 10, none of them have stopped laying. Lots of eggs and larvae in all of them. Last year was much worse (heat and drought) than this year and they just kept on laying. However, I was feeding them non stop last year since they were all new hives and there was nothing for them to forage until late fall. They are bringing in pollen now, since the mesquites are in full bloom and all hives have capped honey.

[ddb123]

What is the current state of the hive? My two have recently stopped laying.

[throrope]

Her pheromones may be strong enough to prevent supersede.

Pinch her. Let go for a day and introduce another.

Or, pinch her and introduce frames with fresh laid eggs and frames with capped brood from other hives. They will raise a new one and the capped brood will help keep up numbers in the meantime. I prefer my mutt queens.

Also, feed.