[southeastflorida]

like holding a caged queen on topbars, to see reaction.
any other tips?

 

[Brad Bee]

The best tip "trick" that I know of is to look for eggs, or at the very least, small open larvae.....

 

[stan.vick]

If you have a spare queen cell, place it in the hive, if queen right the next day it should have been destroyed, if not just leave it in to make it queen right.

 

[Roland]

Add a frame of eggs. Check in a few days. If there are cells, no queen. If not, and there are no eggs on anther frame, you have a problem.

crazy Roland

 

[G3farms]

Add a frame of eggs. Check in a few days. If there are cells, no queen. If not, and there are no eggs on anther frame, you have a problem.

crazy Roland

Unless you have a laying worker hive, sometimes you will not change their minds.

 

[JRG13]

Queenless hives tend to be louder and a little more runny/defensive at times.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Yes, the "queenless roar" is an indication. Also…many of the bees will have their abdomens elevated and their nassanov glands exposed. Some of the bees also flap their wings in a strange, shivery way.

 

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Also, there attitude changes. I have described it as angry, others have described it as depressed. Either way, they seem more irascible.
An indication, without going into the hive, is that every other hive is bringing in pollen. The queenless hive doesn't have an interest in pollen gathering.

 

[Goran]

Also when knock with fingers on hive wall, if inside after first response they don't get quieter and remain noisy - most likely queenless.

 

[Goran]

Also, there attitude changes. I have described it as angry, others have described it as depressed. Either way, they seem more irascible.
An indication, without going into the hive, is that every other hive is bringing in pollen. The queenless hive doesn't have an interest in pollen gathering.

Not so true, drone laying queen or laying workers in the hive, they bring pollen also.

 

[sqkcrk]

It's hard to find a queen that isn't there.

Are your eyes good enough to see eggs? If you look at every open comb, inspecting every cell, and see no eggs and if the bees are acting queenless, which is hard to explain, fanning, running, chattering, then it's a great possibility that your hive is queenless.

Then what are you going to do?

Do you have other queen right hives that you can rob brood from? If you suspect queenlessness, take a cpl frames of capped brood and a frame of eggs and larvae and stick them in the suspect hive. Even if they aren't actually queenless they probably need boosting anyway. Otherwise, what makes you think they might be queenless, if not lack of brood? Couldn't hurt.

 

[Michael Bush]

>The queenless hive doesn't have an interest in pollen gathering.

I've seen queenless hives hauling a LOT of pollen.

Of course the first thing is eggs and brood. If you have that you need not look any farther. If there is not, a frame of open brood, as Roland said, is what you want to give them and see if they start queen cells. If they do, they were queenless and you can decide if you want to let them resolve it by raising a queen or get a queen for them. If they don't, then come back in a week or two and see if there are eggs...

 

[Cloverdale]

>The queenless hive doesn't have an interest in pollen gathering.

I've seen queenless hives hauling a LOT of pollen.

Of course the first thing is eggs and brood. If you have that you need not look any farther. If there is not, a frame of open brood, as Roland said, is what you want to give them and see if they start queen cells. If they do, they were queenless and you can decide if you want to let them resolve it by raising a queen or get a queen for them. If they don't, then come back in a week or two and see if there are eggs...

Michael, two of my hives coming out of winter I believe are queenless...one is laying all drone brood: the other smaller one has drone brood and a little capped brood...the third hive is strong with a queen and capped brood. I don't remember seeing much uncapped at all. What would you do? This is my first winter. Thanks..... PS. All are gathering lots of pollen

 

[Michael Bush]

>two of my hives coming out of winter I believe are queenless...one is laying all drone brood: the other smaller one has drone brood and a little capped brood...the third hive is strong with a queen and capped brood. I don't remember seeing much uncapped at all. What would you do?

I would give the questionable ones open brood and eggs from the strong one. Every week for three weeks if necessary. The one with all drone brood, (assuming solid patches of drone brood and not a lot of multiple eggs) may have a drone laying queen. If you can't find her the frames of eggs may solve it in three weeks, but if you can dispose of her you will speed things along.

http://bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

 

[Cloverdale]

>two of my hives coming out of winter I believe are queenless...one is laying all drone brood: the other smaller one has drone brood and a little capped brood...the third hive is strong with a queen and capped brood. I don't remember seeing much uncapped at all. What would you do?

I would give the questionable ones open brood and eggs from the strong one. Every week for three weeks if necessary. The one with all drone brood, (assuming solid patches of drone brood and not a lot of multiple eggs) may have a drone laying queen. If you can't find her the frames of eggs may solve it in three weeks, but if you can dispose of her you will speed things along.

http://bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

Thank you...

 

[Roland]

With the drone layer, I would take the hive 50 feet away, shake all the bees off the comb, return the hive to it's original location, and add as many frames of eggs as the bees can cover.

Crazy Roland

 

[Cloverdale]

With the drone layer, I would take the hive 50 feet away, shake all the bees off the comb, return the hive to it's original location, and add as many frames of eggs as the bees can cover.

Crazy Roland

Ok...does it matter what direction I bring the hive to shake off the bees? I'm thinking flight path direction...and thank you crazy Roland and Michael bush. With all the reading I do when it comes to actually applying what I read I draw a blank...till after I'm out of the hives!

 

[sqkcrk]

It doesn't matter much which direction you go. The bees don't follow only one flight path back to the hive's location. It's a matter of getting the laying worker away from the hive, in the grass, where it has trouble getting back home.

 

[Cloverdale]

It doesn't matter much which direction you go. The bees don't follow only one flight path back to the hive's location. It's a matter of getting the laying worker away from the hive, in the grass, where it has trouble getting back home.

Thanks Mark...I have a feeling I rolled the queen...maybe; there were some drones that had hatched so three weeks ago at least. Should I scratch up most of that drone brood and let them clean it out?

 

[My-smokepole]

I was to stomp any clumps of bees that hang out at the grass location. To kill the working queen.
David