Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed by looking through the observation window that the number of bees in Olea's hive seemed to be decreasing. Today the apiary thermometer hit 62, so I was able to take a look.
There still is plenty of honey and pollen. The brood pattern, however, did not look good. Brood was present only in small areas on a few frames and it was spotty with lots of empty cells and scattered larvae. I did spot the queen and saw a mite on one worker.
The most common cause of a poor brood pattern is a failing queen. Disease such as chalkbrood or foul brood can also be a cause. I did not see any sign of disease.
The remedy for a failing queen is to replace her but it is too late in the year for me to do so. If the colony does not improve come spring, and they are still around, I will replace her then. Or.... I could take the queen from my nuc and put her in the top bar hive. I will have to think about that.
No comments:
Post a Comment