I currently have four hives. I did have five, but sold one to a friend in July. This friend was pollinating her own garden with Q-tips! She NEEDED HONEYBEES! How could I say no when I had a beautiful little nucleus hive she could have. Last I heard this hive was doing excellent and she was no longer running around her yard with Q-tips.
My bummer news has to do with one of my hives. I had noticed over the past week that they were not as active compared to my other hives. I had checked this hive on August 15 and found larvae in various stages, but saw no eggs. The brood pattern was spotty. Well when I checked it today, there was only a scant scattering of sealed brood, no eggs, no larva. BUMMER! No queen laying in that hive. Most likely, no queen at all. I found two queen cells open on the bottom of a frame, so perhaps they have already replaced her and she just isn't mated and laying yet. I took a frame of brood from another hive and notched it where there was 36 hour larva on both sides. I then placed that frame in the supposed queenless hive. If they have no queen, this will give them opportunity to raise a new one. If they have a virgin queen, they won't raise a new queen. I will have to check in 7-10 days for queen cells on that frame. It is a good learning experience. Every time something doesn't go how it is "supposed to" with the bees, I am able to learn from it. So I guess a queenless hive is not a total bummer.
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