Sr. Catherine Duffy asked how to tell the quality of a colony from the brood
pattern.

The "quality of a colony" largely reflects the quality of the queen,
including how well she was mated.

At this time of year the queen is competing for space with nectar and
pollen.  Typically a brood frame will have a large area all along the top of
the frame filled with nectar or capped honey, and that area will extend in
curves down the sides of the frame.  The queen will be restricted to laying
along the bottom of the frame and in the top half of a semi-circle going up
the sides and in the middle of the frame.  A pattern similar to a half-moon,
laying on its side.

If you see one or more frames with all but a few cells containing sealed
brood in this half-moon shape, you have a healthy queen.  If 5% or more of
the cells are empty, the queen should be replaced.

With a piece of cardboard, it is easy to "count" if 5% of the cells are
empty.  Take an empty drawn frame and place it on a table.  Count ten cells
in one direction, and ten cells in the other.  Mark these boundaries with
nail polish or something similar.  Cut a square opening in a piece of
cardboard so that this area will be exposed when the cardboard is laid over
the frame.  (Cutting this opening is the hard part, and may take a few
tries.)  What you have a way to quickly see 100 cells.

Put this opening over a few places on a few frames with sealed brood. Count
the empty cells.  If you have several instances where five or more cells are
empty, the queen should be replaced.

What is going on with the empty cells is that the workers have eaten the
eggs that were laid, because they were genetically defective.  This defect
results when the queen is improperly mated.  From a beekeeper viewpoint, 5%
or more of the potential workforce is being lost and the bees will
eventually replace the queen by supercedure.  It is generally felt that it
is best for the beekeeper to instead replace the queen, with a queen of
known stock.

I hope this helps.
Lloyd
Lloyd Spear Owner, Ross Rounds(tm).  The finest in comb honey production.
http://www.rossrounds.com