empty

[AndersMNelson]

I'm kind of confused.  The lower deep on my hive is practically empty, concerning brood, honey and pollen.  The upper is packed full of honey.  I would guess that the queen is dead?  I tried installing a new queen a couple months ago, but that failed.  I'm also going to have to move my hive a couple blocks in the spring.  Am I totally doomed?  I was thinking it might not be a bad idea to just to start over.

[Finsky]

The upper is packed full of honey. 

Do you have bees in upper deep and how much?

[AndersMNelson]

Yes, there is a significant population of bees in both.  I can't say numbers, but I would say the amount is pretty healthy.

[randydrivesabus]

i don't think theres supposed to be much brood this time of year.

[Finsky]

Yes, there is a significant population of bees in both.  I can't say numbers, but I would say the amount is pretty healthy.

Ok. Hive will over winter normally without the queen. But I suppose that they have at least unmated queen there.

If you have winter there, you cannot do nothing. When another hive has some brood, you may put the frame into another hive. If they have not queen, thay start to make queen cells. If they have some queen, you will find it walking on brood frame.  If you disturb much the hive, it will die.

If lower box is empty, it means nothing.'

You forecast show that you have now  57 °F / 14 °C . You may open the hive and look does it have brood and what kind and get you queen in sight.
If you do not find any sign of queen then wait that normal hive begin to lay eggs.

The best way is to wait a month or something that  weathers are warmer.

However I live here in 60 latitude, after 2 month I prepare hives for cleansing flight. After that it is possible to arrange hives and look their quuens. There will be brood in my hives at that time.

http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KPHF&SafeCityName=Newport_News&StateCode=VA&Units=none&IATA=ORF

[Michael Bush]

I would not expect any brood this time of year.  They have just moved up.  Is there a nectar flow in LA this time of year?

[Finsky]

I would not expect any brood this time of year.  They have just moved up.  Is there a nectar flow in LA this time of year?

I do not know your brood system at all.  Here we have at the beginning the highest snow cover on ground when bees make cleansing flight. If I open the hive, small patch or tens of new brood.  If it is very cold like -4F outside, hives have perhaps no brood.

But however, if nothing is to be done it vain to disturb the hive. Only positive what you can do is give a new queen. But, but and but.

[Trot]

What people expect and what bees do - are two different things...

Regards,
Trot

[Michael Bush]

>If it is very cold like -4F outside, hives have perhaps no brood.

LA is Louisiana.  It's a tropical climate.  When I was there in February a couple of years ago it was 60 F.  I don't think it has EVER been -4 F there.  Even during the Ice Age. :)

So I don't know if they stop brood rearing because of the short days, or if they should be rearing brood now.

[Trot]

Right.
During ice age, -4 would be quite warm! Apparently N. America was under thick ice - down to about what is now Mexico...

[Finsky]

Right.
During ice age, -4 would be quite warm! ...

HAH HAH. I talked about my hives.  If we have only 14 F at the beginning of March, we have mostly brood patch in hives.

During night temp may be 5 F and  afternoon 41F.  But not in LA or NY .

[ChickenWing]

I'm confused   :?   The OP's location says Virginia.

[Kirk-o]

Its Hard sometimes to tell what to do in some locals.I live in L A and it was tricky
figureing it out.I Know when it is spring here the peach tree blooms.That is around the middle of January.It can be pretty warm hear most of the time I have learned to pay attention to my paticular enviroment.I have seen swarms here in every month of the year.It is differnt real differnt.

kirko

[Michael Bush]

Sorry, I must have misread it.  I though it was LA.  Anyway, I don't know if there should be brood there this time of year, but I doubt it.

[AndersMNelson]

Coastal Virginia here.  However, it is unusually mild, especially this year.  Today it was in the mid-60s.  Since it's so warm, it surprises me by all of your experiences that there would be such little brood in my hive.  I haven't figured things out, but at least I know winter won't be to cruel for the hive.  Thanks for all the feedback, by the way.

[Finsky]

Bees do not make brood according is it warm or not.  Bees get signal from autumn when days became shorter. In my area bees stop brood feeding at the beginning of August when fireweed stops blooming. There are no flowering plants in forest areas any more because plants prepare them selves for winter.

In cultivated areas red clover is the best pollen plant because it makes new flowers if it is harvested in the middle of summer.

In September brooding stops however it is warm weathers.

In late winter   lengthening days tell to bees that spring is coming, however it is frost outside. Bees start to make some brood but they stop if they have no pollen stores near cluster. Their aim is to raise new nurser bees because they must be young.

Some bee stocks stop brood rearing in the middle of summer if weathers are bad and they get no food outside.

I prefer bee stock which do not react so fast food breaks. They continue brood rearing and are ready to harvest main yield if it exist.

In my area if bees continue brood rearing during autumn or winter, they surely die before spring. I get those queens if I bye them from Italy in spring.  During 40 years only one hive has survived over winter when it has brood over winter. Normally these cases die before Christmas.

If hive raises brood late and they have no pollen stores for emerged new bees, hive will be very sick during the winter. Proteins and vitamins are very necessary to emerged bees. That is why it is not wise to keep on feeding in autumn. It is nice but not clever.