Lesson 43: The Queenless Colony
How to tell a colony has lost its queen, and what to do about it quickly
Colonies lose their queens more often than beginners expect: a queen crushed during an inspection, lost on a mating flight, killed after an introduction, or simply dying of old age. A colony without a queen can't make new workers, and without help it will slowly dwindle and die. The good news: caught early, it's usually easy to fix.
The signs
Inside the hive: - No eggs and no young larvae in the brood nest during the active season (the most reliable sign; lesson 36). - No queen to be found, though that alone proves nothing. - Emergency queen cells: large cells built out from worker cells toward the middle of the comb (lesson 37). Colonies usually start these within a few hours of losing their queen. - Shiny, polished empty cells in the brood nest waiting for eggs that don't come. - Later, no brood at all, then laying workers (lesson 44).
The colony's behavior: - The bees are agitated, and normal activity is disrupted. - When you open the hive, many bees stand and fan at the top of the frames. - There may be a loud, roaring hum, different from a calm colony's sound. - The colony often gets more defensive.
Don't jump to conclusions
No eggs doesn't always mean no queen.
- A new queen may be present but not laying yet. A virgin queen takes about two weeks after emerging to mate and start laying (lesson 13). If you see a recently opened queen cell (a neat round hole at the bottom), be patient.
- Queens slow down or stop laying in winter, during a long pollen shortage, or just before swarming.
- Eggs but no other brood usually means laying just restarted, often a new queen that just mated. That's good news.
A simple test
Not sure if a colony has a queen? Give it a frame with eggs and very young larvae from another colony. Check it three days later: - Queen cells started on that frame → the colony was queenless and is now raising a queen. - No queen cells → there's probably a queen (perhaps a virgin not yet laying).
The test frame also boosts the colony with young bees, whatever the answer.
Fixing it
Act quickly. The longer a colony stays queenless, the older and fewer its bees become, and the harder it is to fix. After a few weeks, laying workers may take over, and those colonies often refuse a new queen (lesson 44).
Option 1: Let the bees raise a queen. If the colony has emergency queen cells or you give it a frame of eggs and young larvae, it can raise its own queen. It works, but it's slow: from egg to a laying queen and her first new workers takes 5 to 6 weeks, and the colony shrinks meanwhile. It's riskier where Africanized bees are present (lesson 16), and it only works when there are drones for the new queen to mate with.
Option 2: Introduce a mated queen (fastest). Buy a mated, laying queen and introduce her (lesson 46). The colony is back to laying almost at once.
Option 3: Combine with a queenright colony. If the colony is weak, or it's late in the season, unite it with a colony that has a good queen, using the newspaper method (lesson 47).
Option 4: Requeen with a nuc. If you keep a spare nuc with a laying queen, combine the nuc with the queenless colony. It gets a laying queen and brood in one step. (Many beekeepers keep one spare nuc for every two or three colonies for just this reason.)
Remove the emergency queen cells first if you introduce a mated queen or a nuc, or the colony may reject her.
How it looks:
Emergency queen cells: often the first sign the colony has lost its queen.
Introducing a mated queen to a queenless colony (lesson 46).
What to remember
- Signs: no eggs or young larvae; emergency queen cells; agitated, fanning, roaring bees.
- No eggs isn't proof: a virgin queen may not be laying yet; check for opened queen cells; test with a frame of eggs.
- Fix it fast: let them raise a queen (slow), introduce a mated queen (fast), combine with a queenright colony, or use a nuc.
- Remove queen cells before introducing a new queen.
Quick check
- Name two signs a colony may be queenless.
- You find no eggs, but there's a queen cell with a neat round opening at the bottom. What should you do?
- How does the "frame of eggs" test work?
Show answers
1. Any two of: no eggs or young larvae; emergency queen cells; agitated bees fanning and roaring when opened; polished empty cells. 2. Be patient; a virgin queen has probably emerged and may take about two weeks to mate and start laying. 3. Add a frame of eggs and young larvae; if the colony builds queen cells on it within about three days, it was queenless.
Adapted from: UGA Bee Program, Honey Bee Disorders: Non-infectious Diseases and Pests (queenlessness); Purdue Extension, Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059-W), "Colony Troubleshooting"; UF/IFAS Extension, Using Nucs in Beekeeping Operations (IN869) and Welcome to the Apiary! (4H446).
Photos: emergency queen cell and queen introduction, Conall, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.