Carl wrote:
I have in spring killed queens in small over wintered nucs that seem to have 
lost their ability to lay an egg. Later I discovered that these queens were 
able to lay and produce healthy brood if young bees were added to the nuc. I 
then assumed that there was nothing wrong with the queen but it was the 
workers that were unable to produce the glandular food for her brood. The 
alternative for the workers was to eat or remove any eggs that she would 
lay. Thus the colony was unable to produce brood even though there was 
nothing wrong with the queen. Was my assumption correct that the workers 
were too old to produce royal jelly?

Could adding young bees have solved your problem?


Carl,
I find the above fascinating.....it may have been  a factor that cause me to 
dstroy a queen or two(something I am loathe to do)

Just to confirm-How did you know that it was the addition of young bees and 
not just a more advanced season that induced the resumed laying? Got any 
"clinchers"?

John Horton 

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