I have a hive that is 'boiling' over with bees, it has lots of drones (maybe alittle too many), I haven't seen the queen, there is no capped brood and I see no eggs. Should I add a new queen or let them make their own? I added three frames of brood from my nuc , yesterday.
No advantage to shake.
It has swarmed over 3 weeks ago I guess and brood have ceased. The new queen has not yet started to lay eggs. Or the queen has met an accident during mating flight.
When you gaved brood you will se if they start to build new queen cells.
Often queen walks on brood frames.
When hive is queenless, it is nervous and ventilates much with their abdomen gland. If it is calm it has queen somewhere.
Boiling overe means that add one box more.
If you do not have queen, add a new because even now have too long interruption in brooding. Don't raise a new queen with them.
You can get a new queen, make a little nuc and wate what happens. You need good queens however.
1) I you are getting yield just now, don't wait, you can put together with naboring hive and so they are in useful job.
2) Take from other hives young larva frames and let them raise brood.
3) Get a swarm and join it to that hive.
4) Have a new queen. Take old queen from another hive (B) and offer queen from there to your queenless hive. See what happens. Give a new queen to the B.
I they start to raise queens cells, I recommend: Put together naboring hive and put them to work. Raise a new nuc and get for that a new queen.
If they does not raise queens cells, new queen starts egg laying very soon.
Topic: To add a queen or not? (Read 2899 times)