I have 2 new hives of Russian bees that I bought this year as nucs. I didn't get them until fairly late, mid-June if I remember right, so they missed the big flows. I've been checking on them periodically and they've been doing well: they drew out all the comb on the bottom brood box so I stacked a new brood box on each hive. They started drawing out some of the frames in those and filling them with honey when I last checked about 6 weeks ago. I didn't check the bottom brood boxes at the time so I don't know if there was new brood.
I just checked them again today. When I checked the first hive there didn't seem to be much progress at all in terms of drawing out comb. There also seemed to be less honey. I pulled off the top brood box and I saw no sign of a queen: no eggs, no larva, no capped brood; plenty of nicely drawn foundation but no signs of a queen. I also noticed a few (5 or 6) small (about 1/4 the size of a bee) beetles and some mites on the bees. (I had thought Russians were mite resistant) I slid out the tray on the IPM bottomboard and noticed small white larva in silky tunnels, they looked like wax moth larva only smaller -- I assume those are Small Hive Beetle larva. When I checked the next hive it was exactly the same.
I have a few questions:
The big one is basically: How can I make it through the winter with these bees?
and then under that are:
1- Is it possible that I have laying queens but the beetles are eating eggs faster than she can lay them?
2- Do I need to re-queen and is it too late?
3- Should I try to combine these hives and feed them as much as they'll take?
Some other things you should know: I've never fed them and I've never treated them for anything. (I know it doesn't really make any sense but I had this idea that if I do those things they'd never learn to take care of themselves -- find all the nectar sources, groom themselves properly...that sort of thing) Also, the location the hives are in doesn't get any direct sunlight until mid day due to a ridge next to my property and the hives face WSW. (I could actually move them to another location that would get more direct sunlight for more of the day but a bit less in the late day.)
Anyone out there who can tell me what to do and in what steps to do it?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I just checked them again today. When I checked the first hive there didn't seem to be much progress at all in terms of drawing out comb. There also seemed to be less honey. I pulled off the top brood box and I saw no sign of a queen: no eggs, no larva, no capped brood; plenty of nicely drawn foundation but no signs of a queen. I also noticed a few (5 or 6) small (about 1/4 the size of a bee) beetles and some mites on the bees. (I had thought Russians were mite resistant) I slid out the tray on the IPM bottomboard and noticed small white larva in silky tunnels, they looked like wax moth larva only smaller -- I assume those are Small Hive Beetle larva. When I checked the next hive it was exactly the same.
I have a few questions:
The big one is basically: How can I make it through the winter with these bees?
and then under that are:
1- Is it possible that I have laying queens but the beetles are eating eggs faster than she can lay them?
2- Do I need to re-queen and is it too late?
3- Should I try to combine these hives and feed them as much as they'll take?
Some other things you should know: I've never fed them and I've never treated them for anything. (I know it doesn't really make any sense but I had this idea that if I do those things they'd never learn to take care of themselves -- find all the nectar sources, groom themselves properly...that sort of thing) Also, the location the hives are in doesn't get any direct sunlight until mid day due to a ridge next to my property and the hives face WSW. (I could actually move them to another location that would get more direct sunlight for more of the day but a bit less in the late day.)
Anyone out there who can tell me what to do and in what steps to do it?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks