[mharrell11]

My package install is without a queen. At this point I am contemplating re-queening, providing I can find one, or combining with my NUC install. My NUC is really strong. I was getting ready to install another deep for brood. Combining would give me the second deep with some bees and produce a even stronger hive and move it closer to honey production.

Looking for other opinions on this. Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[Greg Lowe]

You could give your package a frame with eggs from your nuc so they can raise a queen.

 

[mharrell11]

Thought of that. But since I am new to this, I wasn't sure how to tell how recent the eggs would be since they need to be no more than 3 days of age.

 

[SherryNE]

they hatch on the 4th day.

 

[mharrell11]

I also think I am fighting the clock on this. I have thought all along that my queen left early. I wasn't seeing any eggs or brood like I do in my NUC. I finally got a separate set of eyes on it today to confirm what I thought. All the bees are busy bring in pollen and making honey and building more comb, there are no eggs or brood. The hive is now a month old. My guess is that I will start loosing bees due to age in a couple of weeks and not sure if another queen can be produced fast enough and begin laying eggs in time to save the colony. Am I wrong on this?

 

[O'Quinn]

Combine if you can't get a queen immediately. No good will come from waiting 21+ days for your colony to produce a laying queen from donor eggs.

 

[VodoBaas1]

You could always give the failing hive a frame of brood or two every week. It will boost their numbers, they can make a queen and it won't really cost you hive too much in resources. I would hate for you to be down to one hive and get stuck in a situation where another hive could help remedy it.

 

[bluegrass]

All the bees are busy bring in pollen and making honey and building more comb, there are no eggs or brood. The hive is now a month old. My guess is that I will start loosing bees due to age in a couple of weeks and not sure if another queen can be produced fast enough and begin laying eggs in time to save the colony. Am I wrong on this?

If the work force is bringing in pollen I would suspect that the package is Q-right. It isn't uncommon for a queen to take several weeks to start laying.

Without brood present in the hive the bees can live for months. Life expectancy is directly related to the presence of brood and the amount present. I would give them a frame of brood, but my guess is they will not do anything with it as they have a queen.

 

[ruthiesbees]

I vote to give them a frame of eggs from the nuc and let them raise a queen. Don't worry about knowing the "age of the eggs", the bees know If your eyes aren't good enough to see the small eggs, just find a frame with open small larvae and what would look to you like cells with nothing in them (most likely they have eggs that you just can't see). If you combine the two hives, I doubt you will get honey this year anyway, so why not focus on building up both hive numbers.

 

[snl]

You could give your package a frame with eggs from your nuc so they can raise a queen.

True, but it will take just about 2 months to get any bees provided they raise a queen and nothing happens to her during her nuptial flights.........

 

[VodoBaas1]

Yes, but I think bluegrass is right. If the bees are bringing in pollen and not lethargic, then most likely they are queen right and just haven't seen the queen. If you give them a frame and they do nothing, then you know your queen right, if they start making queen cells/cups then most likely queenless. Hate for you to buy a queen and find out that they are fine and out the money.

 

[mharrell11]

Thanks for your feedback. After taking another look at the hive yesterday I determined that in the 4 weeks the hive has been in place, there are no brood or eggs. The population drop this week a lone was significant. So to salvage what I have left, I combine the 2 hives with newspaper today. Hopefully as this hive gets stronger, I can create a NUC from it later in the year. The stronger hive is ready to expand anyway, so this will give them another brood box that has plenty of empty cells, pollen and honey to work with.

Thanks again for your input. Will let you know what happens.

Mike