another conundrum

Well it was 'doing my head in' seeing no queen and finding 100's of dead bees around the hives. I was ready to throw the towel in and feeling very sad too. But all is not lost as my local beekeeper sage cast his learned eye over my hive and found my queen (a new lady,smaller and a darker colour......no wonder i couldn't see her) and assured me that although I have had a lot of inexplicable deaths I still have a good healthy colony ready to over winter with a new queen (poss virgin) to see the new year in. So here goes my next question (one I should have asked Mr Sage)....
If all the drones have been kicked out and I have a virgin queen at home, how will she find a suitor for next year? My guess is that the workers will lay drones ready for mating the new Q???? is the wrong answer???!!!
I am sure the answer is so obvious but I couldn't find it in my books either.

Loubylou said:

I am sure the answer is so obvious but I couldn't find it in my books either.

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They are doomed if they only have a virgin queen, you need to re queen them with a mated one, or unite.

What you need to know is when did your new queen emerge and was there any drones at this time, workers will become drone layers only when there is no queen, not a lot you can do now unfortunately with one colony

I still have a good healthy colony ready to over winter

Go with your Mr Sage.

She may be mated. She may just possibly get mated, if not. Is there open brood in the colony? There are drones still around, and no they will not be raising any to mate with her. Get a good bee book and read it over the winter is my suggestion.

I still have drones so if virgin there is still a chance but the weather is not looking promising.

Given the questions over the last while I too think some reading sessions are advisable.

PH

There is no brood, old queen had gone and new queen is not producing any eggs. She is smaller than old Q and darker, i dont know how to tell if she is a virgin Q. Do they mate late in the year??

Hard to tell if she is a virgin just by looking only way to tell is when the larvae are capped.

Feed syrup. They take it slower now but they still take it. If she is mated it might kick start laying. Not much else you can do. Unlikely to get mated okay now but you never know. No point in worrying now as it's out of your hands.

loubylou
i refered to a programme on tv as the loubeelou beekeeper i hope you dont think i was having a pop at you country file tonight

Hi, not sure what u mean??

hi, it was about countryfile, when julia badbury got stung and i refered to the woman bee keeper as loubeelou, around here its refers to someone being silly as was the beekeeper on tv not having any gear on, or her guest not having anything on as well and she got stung on camara

Loubylou.
If you have a virgin queen in the hive it is unlikely that she will mate so the colony will not survive. Between now and next Spring, find out some good books and read them to find out what you have done right and what you could have done better. Join your local beekeeping association and go to some talks as well if you can. The first year of beekeeping is a steep learning curve, take the opportunity to climb up the learning curve over winter and with the experience you've had, you'll be in a really good place for next year, whatever happens.

did you mr sage say your queen had swarmed and taken some bees with her, or have you still got a full hive of bees ,if they have left was there any sign of vacant queen cells

yeogi75 said:

hi, it was about countryfile, when julia badbury got stung and i refered to the woman bee keeper as loubeelou, around here its refers to someone being silly as was the beekeeper on tv not having any gear on, or her guest not having anything on as well and she got stung on camara

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I think it originated from an early children's TV program that had Andy Pandy and little Ted and in the end they got into a wicker box and waved goodbye .......I think.

REDWOOD said:

I think it originated from an early children's TV program that had Andy Pandy and little Ted and in the end they got into a wicker box and waved goodbye .......I think.

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cor you must be as old as me you are right it was and used aroud where i live

I have never had soo many drones so late in the season, suspect it it is a hint to the problens still to come but saw a 'long girl' returning to one hive today... You don't need drones in your hives, just drones in the area and up here they are all drone rich still, probably becuae they need them.

Hivemaker. said:

They are doomed if they only have a virgin queen, you need to re queen them with a mated one, or unite.

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Hive maker is right. You need to re-queen if you want your colony to have a chance for next season.

On the 15th you talked about not having any evidence of a queen being there for at least a month. Advice was given. 19th you talked about clustering under the hive floor again advice given. Today you talked about having only a virgin queen and no drones. You could wait until next week as there is some slightly warmer weather expected or you could now act on advice given and re-queen with a mated queen which in the long run may be your cheapest option. Oh and save your bees. What ever you decide good luck.

yeogi75 said:

hi, it was about countryfile, when julia badbury got stung and i refered to the woman bee keeper as loubeelou, around here its refers to someone being silly as was the beekeeper on tv not having any gear on, or her guest not having anything on as well and she got stung on camara

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No, not me. I wouldn't dare go to my bees unprotected, rather silly if you ask me.
However, I am old enough to remember Loubylou......just. That is what my family often called me and its rather stuck.

Re my bees....I do have a healthy full colony even though i lost many a few weeks back, and regarding my Q, its fingers Xed as to whether she has been mated. So I will now immerse myself in bee books and get wiser over the coming winter months....i hope.

Thanks all for having the patience to answer so many questions from an impatient newbie

Quote:
Originally Posted by yeogi75 View Post
hi, it was about countryfile, when julia badbury got stung and i refered to the woman bee keeper as loubeelou, around here its refers to someone being silly as was the beekeeper on tv not having any gear on, or her guest not having anything on as well and she got stung on camara
I think it originated from an early children's TV program that had Andy Pandy and little Ted and in the end they got into a wicker box and waved goodbye .......I think.


An old Music hall song......

Here we go loubeelou, here we go loobeelie..... all on a Saturday night !

have a copy of the lyrics and music somewhere in my collection left to me by my Grandfather.

Fingers crossed Loubylou.