[countryconvert11]

I have a queen less hive. I tried earlier this year to add a frame of eggs. I added some capped brood to keep the work force. I think there was a queen at some point because I found some larvae. No eggs or brood now except for what looks like laying worker. However, they are working hard to bring in pollen and honey!

I'm thinking to let them build up resources as long as possible and populate with a split next year. How do I store the hive? I do have a large deep freeze, is that the best way?

 

[ruthiesbees]

Keep adding a frame of open brood each week so the pheromones from the brood suppress the laying workers. At some point they will make a queen cell and get requeened. You also could combine it many months from now with one of your other hives. I fought a queenless hive for much of the spring and they finally have a queen in there. If you have the resources, just keep adding a frame of open brood and capped brood (if you can spare it).

 

[countryconvert11]

Thanks for the recommendation to keep at this hive. I have 12 other hives, most of them doing well, so I can spare the resources. Yesterday (Sat.) I took the brood out of one of my large hives. The second frame I checked had two capped queen cells on the bottom of the frame, so I moved that frame. Hopefully it'll work out.

Of course, my thought is that this large hive is preparing to swarm. However, the queen has not stopped laying, there were at least two frames with eggs (I didn't dig deeper) and no other capped swarm cells. I saw the queen and she looked plump as ever. So I didn't split for the major reason of no queen cells available. I'm confused though since I thought the queen would have stopped laying in order to lean up for the flight. So maybe they aren't going to swarm, they've had plenty of space all along. In any case, I'll keep an eye out for more capped queen cells and split if I find them.

 

[zhiv9]

She will slow down laying, but will lay right up until they swarm. Usually if the cells are capped, she is gone already. If there were only two cells it sounds more like supercedure.