Queenlessness
Lexikon
Queenlessness means that a colony no longer has a laying queen.
Queenlessness means that a colony no longer has a laying queen. It is thus not a fault of the queen, but simply her absence. Common causes are losses over winter, a young queen that does not return from the mating flight, queen losses in connection with a treatment, and carelessness while working the colony, for example when the queen is crushed while a comb is being moved.
Typical signs are the absence of eggs and young larvae, together with a noticeably restless, sustained roaring when the hive is opened. If the condition persists, the colony tips into drone brooding and shows only humped brood. Caution is warranted, however: directly after swarming, or when a young, still unmated queen is present in the colony, being broodless is entirely normal. A colony that has swarmed is therefore assessed no earlier than about three weeks after the swarm left.
The queen test provides certainty. For this, a comb with very young, open brood from a healthy colony is hung in. If the colony then starts queen cells, it really does lack a queen. If no cells appear, a queen, usually a young, unmated one, is with high probability still present after all.
What to do next depends on the season and colony strength. In spring, introducing a queen is usually not worthwhile; there it is better to unite a healthy queenless colony with a queenright one. In summer a strong colony can raise itself a queen via a comb of young brood that is hung in, otherwise a queen is introduced. It should be kept in mind that a foreign queen is accepted less readily during times of heavy egg-laying than in spring or autumn. Weak colonies are dissolved and replaced with the young colonies formed in May and June.
Quellen (4)
- BienenSchweiz, Merkblatt 4.7.4 Umgang mit weisellosen Völkern
- Die Honigmacher (Deutscher Imkerbund): Umweiseln und Weiselprobe
- Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau: Umweiseln mit begatteter Königin
- Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau, Fachzentrum Bienen: Merkblatt Schwarmvorbeuge