Colony was new last year. Overwintered great with lots of honey left over this spring. Things were looking normal up to 3-4 weeks ago.
But yesterday a full-hive exam found most of the honey consumed, not much sign of new honey, and not much brood, if any. Never did find any eggs, but I am new. Seemed to be an abundance of some larger bees to my untrained eye, but they did not seem as large as some big brute drones I've seen. They seemed edgy, whereas two other first-year colonies I have nearby in TBH's seemed quite calm about my examining their hives.
Could not find the queen, but may have been my inexperience. If I am unsure about having a healthy queen, what's your advice about ordering a new queen now just in case, and introduce her? Too late in the year? What if there is a healthy queen already, and I'm just over concerned due to inexperience? We have had enormous amounts of pine pollen and flowering forest plants, plus unusual amounts of rain.
Thanks for any advice.
-Lee in Black Hills, SD
But yesterday a full-hive exam found most of the honey consumed, not much sign of new honey, and not much brood, if any. Never did find any eggs, but I am new. Seemed to be an abundance of some larger bees to my untrained eye, but they did not seem as large as some big brute drones I've seen. They seemed edgy, whereas two other first-year colonies I have nearby in TBH's seemed quite calm about my examining their hives.
Could not find the queen, but may have been my inexperience. If I am unsure about having a healthy queen, what's your advice about ordering a new queen now just in case, and introduce her? Too late in the year? What if there is a healthy queen already, and I'm just over concerned due to inexperience? We have had enormous amounts of pine pollen and flowering forest plants, plus unusual amounts of rain.
Thanks for any advice.
-Lee in Black Hills, SD