Two Weeks Later
One queen thriving, one nuc lost to wasps, and one hive still refusing to say whether it has a queen at all. A bit of everything in this one.
laying worker
How We’re Getting On
Two weeks in on the screen-stack fix, a fresh virgin queen in hive 001, a backup graft ticking along — how three separate queen situations are getting on.
What We Actually Did (And Why)
After confirming the Randalstown queen was gone, I had to pick a fix from a shelf of methods that all disagree with each other. Here’s how I weighed them up, what I actually did, and two honest cautions for anyone in the same spot.
No Queen, All Drone Brood: Diagnosing a Laying Worker Hive
So that’s what I did. I built hive stands. I tidied the garden. I enjoyed, genuinely enjoyed, having nothing beekeeping related that needed doing. If you keep bees you will know how strange that feels. Standing in your own garden with your hands empty, on purpose, is not something this hobby prepares you for. I … Read more