[Love the Bees]

I'm in ontario. Oct 16, 2022 we lost our only 2 Queens after 30 hours application of Formic. The weather was cold 4-6 Celsius then warmed up to 10-12 C . It was too late to buy Queens none available. I combined the two hives just before the cold hit. It was too cold to check for any new Queens or cells. I've opened it on a nice day twice now to leave a protein patty. The bees are calm and their numbers appear good. There is a wonderful sound coming from the deep. But I'm still worried. I can't check for a queen now. Is it possible I don't have one though they seem fine? We have had at least 2 weeks of weather in 10-12c . Yesterday Nov 23, 2022 and today it's been 8C and the bees are flying around outside the hive. How will I know if I have a queen. I'm going to worry all winter. When can I check for eggs. Will they carry on until spring . Will there be a hive alive without a queen in spring? Will I have time to purchase a queen?

 

[Wil]

First off, welcome to the forum. I'm only in my second year at beekeeping but I'll take a stab at your situation. How do you know they are queenless ? Did you actually see the dead queens upon inspection? I very seldom can find my Queens on inspection. I also treat with Formic Acid Pro strips and haven't had any problems with it. Winter is upon us and for sure, it is way to cold to even attempt to do an inspection to see what is going on so yes, you will have to ride this winter out in worry and who knows, just maybe there is still a Queen in there or maybe even a new Queen to start off the new Spring coming. You will do more harm then good if you do an inspection now, in the cold of Winter. Good luck.

 

[Sweet as Honey]

Don’t spend all winter worrying. Worrying does no good and just wastes your time. The situation is what it is, and at the moment you can do nothing about it. Just remember that you have to check for a queen as soon as temperatures warm up. Focus your energy on something productive and pay attention to your bees when you can actually do something.