checked 4 hives today

[Yankee11]

I checked 4 hives. 3 of them had brood and larva. Saw 2 queens. The the last of the 4, no signs of a queen. No larva, capped brood. Its a double deep with a healthy amount of bees.

Will bees make it through winter without a queen? If so, should I give the some eggs as soon as I start seeing drones?

[Barbarian]

With my awkward bees, I would expect hive 4 to dwindle and dwindle. If I got to a stage of giving them a frame with eggs, they would probably decide not to raise a Q and if they did it could end up a weak hive with a mated Q.

My option would be a less work scheme. Unite the colony with one of the others and then replace later from one of the hives that has come through OK.

[blueblood]

I would do one of two things Barbarian has already eluded to, add a frame of eggs or combine.  Bees in my climate without a queen would probably stay put simply because it's freezing! But, you obviously have warmer weather if you have brood.

[Yankee11]

I am just assuming that since all my other hives have brood this one should also. I am going to give them a little more time. Colder weather coming this week anyway.

As I think about this hive, I have really not been able to keep a queen in it and looking at the comb yesterday it looks pretty bad ( old, thick cut out comb. I think If queenless, I think I will take this opportunity to cull all this junky comb and put these bees in a small overwintered queen right colony

[Yankee11]

Well well, I brought this hive home from the out yard this week. Looked in it again today and saw a cluster of bees in the middle of one of the frames. Hoping they were around the queen. What I found was a big completely capped queen cell. It was 7 days ago today today
when inspected it. That queen cell was not these.

So, I am guessing we had a queen that may have just been starting to lay and we damaged or killed her during inspection last Saturday. Been beating myself up all day. :'(

I marked the frame and will check it again in a week and see if it's open at the bottom.

Would there be any drones at all around to mate a new queen. I figure she hatches in a bout a week(little less) then wants to take mating flights a week after that. Then it's middle of March.

How long can a virgin queen go without getting mated.

[Perry]

Usually 3 weeks to a month after emerging if memory serves me. I don't know what the weather is like there, but you will need mature drones to be able to do their thing, otherwise you'll end up with a drone layer.
Was there any other brood or eggs or capped cells other than this single queen cell? If not, consider it (the q cell) a dud to begin with. Your bees tried but didn't have the fertilized egg they needed to raise one.
With the cell you have probably bought a bit of time, but you either will have to combine, or place a frame with eggs and capped brood in there so they will have nurse bees to tend anything they manage to raise.

[Yankee11]

Thanks,

No. I didn't see any other brood or anything and I kinda thought it to be odd that they would have only made 1 queen.

I am on the fence with what to do with this one so far. It,s has a lot of bees in it. Double deep. One day I think I will combine it, and the next day I want notch a frame of egg/larva and put in with them.

Most all of my had 3 frames of brood in them a week ago. And things are starting to bloom, dandelions, trees etc. Usually catching swarms in April.

I have some nucs to sell this year. Maybe I could notch a frame in a couple of places front and back and let them pull several queen cells
then harvest the Qcells for the nucs. If I gave it another week or so before putting in the frame, that would put the queens hatching out around 1st of April. Then mating flights middle of April.

Might be worth a try.

[Perry]

I am going to guess that that q cell will probably never hatch, or if it does, there isn't anything viable as a queen. The only thing you will buy is some time as the bees may recognize it as one. Give it a week and then you will need to make a decision.

[Yankee11]

Well guess what?

I checked qcell today and it was opened at the bottom, flipped frame over and there she was. Had about 3 or 4 bees grooming her.

I also saw drones walking around in some of the other hives today. Quiet a bit of capped drone brood.

Think there is a chance?

[Perry]

I have to admit I'm surprised.
 If she's viable, and you have drones, all you need is good mating weather and you may be alright.

[Yankee11]

She looked good. This one will be interesting to watch.

I'll keep you updated on what happens.

[blueblood]

Right on!  Good to hear!

[barry42001]

lol Barbarian. Are you saying your queen cells would make confused drones

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