Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 5 is a troubleshooting guide that should help you to identify queen problems and
to determine the causes of the problems and ways of treating them. Note, however, that
many queen problems are also caused by the following:
Queens are damaged or killed during manipulations.
Queens are introduced while the old queen is still present.
A queen is introduced when laying workers are present.
The beekeeper's inability to find queens, thus making the wrong assumptions.
Problem
Cause
Treatment
No brood present
No queen/failed queen
Re-queen or unite the colony.
Make sure it is not a natural time
for a break in egg laying, (e.g. winter)
Sealed brood only;
Colony swarmed
Check in 3 weeks for eggs/young
no eggs
brood
Drone brood only;
Drone-laying queen
Re-queen/unite the colony
1 egg per cell
(queen failure)
Drone brood only, often
Laying workers
See the treatment outlined earlier
in worker cells; eggs
in this chapter
not at base of cell
Mix of drone brood
Laying workers
See the treatment outlined earlier
in worker cells;
in this chapter
normal capped brood;
several eggs in some
worker cells
No brood; small queen,
Virgin queen, delayed
Check for eggs in 1 week
excitable on the comb
mating/not yet mated.
Newly arrived postal
queen
