Funny thing about that hive check

So, after 6 years, I still am a newbie. Maybe I always will be.

In my hive check last week, I thought things all looked good!

This week, a Vermont Hive Inspector made an appointment and came by to look at my hives. I didn't ask for this service.  What they saw was something different.

- Hive 1 has laying workers instead of a queen so unless I do something, the hive will die
- Hive 2 has no queen either, but there were no signs of laying workers (may I add 'yet'?)

If I find a queen available, I will buy one.  If not, I will try this method below I took from www.honeybeesuite.com

The only way to save the colony is to suppress the laying workers’ ovaries. This can be done by adding open worker brood to the hive. But just as it took a while to develop the workers’ ovaries, it will take a while to suppress them. If you add a queen too soon after adding the open brood, the workers will kill her too.

One of the best ways to save the hive is to introduce a frame of open worker brood every few days until the bees begin to raise a supersedure queen. How often you have to add brood depends on how old the brood is. Eggs remain eggs for three days and larvae are open for about 5.5 to 6 days. Since the pheromone is produced by larvae and not eggs, a new frame of open brood should be introduced at least once every five or six days if the larvae are very young, but more frequently if the larvae are old.

Because it's still raining, I can't very well begin this process so will wait for better weather, although I'm getting anxious about it given the lateness of the season.   Stay tuned.