I think there's a problem.......

[Apis63]

Hi everyone! I have yet another question for all of you and need advice and guidance on what I should do. I started three new hives a month ago with packaged bees purchased from a local apiary.  This evening I noticed dead larvae on the ground outside one of the hives, along with some dead bees.  Some of the larvae looked quite developed--still white, but it was obvious they were maturing. This concerned me so I opened the hive and went in. I am starting with one deep box of frames that were used last year--some had drawn comb already on them. Upon inspection I saw three frames that have brood on them, most of which seems to be drone cells. It seems like it's being laid in a very uneven way and I am concerned that there is not much of any other brood on the frame. I am concerned for a few reasons: A.) I didn't like seeing larvae on the ground, like it has been kicked out of the hive, B.) the dead bees laying among the larvae concern me, C.) I don't like all the drone cells I'm seeing and hardly any other brood in other cells, D.) I really thought I would see more than three frames of brood altogether.  What's going on here? I do not have a marked queen and I have not had luck finding her. Just very curious about what's going on in this hive. Any advice you can give me will help a lot. Do you think I need to re-Queen? I am not familiar with this.

[Jen]

Hi Apis63 ~ I don't know why you have dead larvae and bees outside the hive, there could be more than one reason for that.

Question 1: Did you happen to notice any eggs at all during this inspection?
Question 2: Did you actually see the queen when you installed the package?

My take is, without a picture, there is the possibility that something happened to the queen early on, and you now have laying workers. Laying worker don't have the semen to fertilize their own eggs, so theframes gets filled up with drone brood. Laying workers have created their own pheromones mimicking a queens pheromone. These workers think everything is just peachy at this point. If you introduce a new queen now, they will kill her without a doubt. So don't do that until you hear from others.

[Perry]

If this drone brood is scattered about and not concentrated in one area it is likely laying workers.
Look for eggs, and if you see multiple eggs in cells, or cells that have been laid on the sides of cells rather than on the bottom, it is an indication of laying workers (their behinds can't reach the bottom of the cell to deposit the egg). Difficult to requeen if that is the case.
A frame of fresh (open) brood each week sometimes helps overcome the problem as the pheromone off the brood suppresses the laying workers over time and then you can try introducing a new queen, but at this point you probably just don't have the resources.
If you have a drone laying queen however, you can simply pinch her and add a new purchase queen.
I will let others weigh in, but you may be looking at shaking this out if all that is being raised are drones by laying workers.

[CBT]

I would be feeding a new package also. You may end up if no eggs or queen combining with a newspaper.
And split them later and let them make or purchase a queen.

[Lburou]

...Upon inspection I saw three frames that have brood on them, most of which seems to be drone cells. It seems like it's being laid in a very uneven way and I am concerned that there is not much of any other brood on the frame...

I had two thoughts as I read your OP.  First, if you see some capped worker brood, it is unlikely you have laying workers, but you need to requeen, ASAP.  Second, the cause of the bees and pupae in front of the hive isn't clear to me.  Two things I can think of that can cause wholesale abortion of pupae are chalkbrood & cold brood.  Iddee, Apis, Chip, Perry, Ef or Tec would have a better guess.

If you haven't downloaded the Canadian Phone App "Bee Health", you should.  You may find pictures and explanations to match your situation.  Sections on Chalkbrood, cold brood, drone laying queens & laying workers can be found there.

[riverbee]

" This evening I noticed dead larvae on the ground outside one of the hives, along with some dead bees. Some of the larvae looked quite developed--still white, but it was obvious they were maturing. This concerned me so I opened the hive and went in. I am starting with one deep box of frames that were used last year--some had drawn comb already on them. Upon inspection I saw three frames that have brood on them, most of which seems to be drone cells. It seems like it's being laid in a very uneven way and I am concerned that there is not much of any other brood on the frame. I am concerned for a few reasons: A.) I didn't like seeing larvae on the ground, like it has been kicked out of the hive, B.) the dead bees laying among the larvae concern me, C.) I don't like all the drone cells I'm seeing and hardly any other brood in other cells, D.) I really thought I would see more than three frames of brood altogether."

apis63, if you can manage to take pix of what you are seeing it would really help! 

1. dead larvae on the ground quite developed and still white...........
    were they sorta mumified?  if they are in a mummified state......this would indicate chalk brood.
    could be 'chilled brood' 
    could be 'hygenic behavior'

2. mostly drone cells and uneven brood pattern..........
    a 'shot brood' pattern? this indicates a queen problem, and if this is the case, your dead white larvae out the front door you are finding are probably   
    drones?

i am in agreement with lee, i don't think this is a laying worker problem, i just think what you have is a queen problem, and the queen was not good from the start.  here's what i would do; contact your local apiary you purchased the packages from and tell them what you are experiencing from this particular hived package and how this queen is laying and what you are seeing out the front door.
imho, i just think the queen that came with this package was not a very good queen.  it happens. contact the supplier, have a conversation with them, they should be open to what you have described and willing to offer thoughts, suggestions or offer you a queen replacement.

   

[Apis63]

Thank you all for getting back to me.  Somehow I always feel better after I ask questions and get advice!  I do feel uneasy about this hive.  This weekend I will take some pictures and post and you all let me know what you think from there.  Riverbee, I do not have experience with queens, so let me ask you a few questions:  If there is a queen and she's not doing her job, do I have to find her and exterminate her before I add a new queen?  Or do I just introduce a new queen with the existing queen still in the hive and let the bees take care of it?  What if the existing queen is competent and I'm wrong and I introduce a new queen?  Will one queen kill another or does one abscond?  I need to learn more about the QUEEN!

[riverbee]

apis63,
i guess i would encourage you to contact your supplier and describe what you are seeing with this queen.

you have 3 packages, this package queen is not doing well? go with what you are thinking, being uneasy about it. compare this one to the other two; how well are the other two doing compared to this one?  this is why it's always good to have more than one 'hive'. this is how we learn!

to answer your questions:
1. If there is a queen and she's not doing her job, do I have to find her and exterminate her before I add a new queen? Or do I just introduce a new queen with the existing queen still in the hive and let the bees take care of it?
YES, you would need to find her and 'exterminate' her before replacing her. i would not introduce another queen without finding the other. 

2. What if the existing queen is competent and I'm wrong and I introduce a new queen?
based on what you have described, i don't think you are 'wrong' and i don't think your queen is 'competent'.

3. Will one queen kill another or does one abscond?
yes.....queens will kill another queen.