Gordon N. Stowe wrote:
 
Hi Gordon!   I am going to presume to make comments regarding my "read"
on your hive's condition and problem, and relate what I would have done,
or not done, to correct the problems, or avoid a problem.  I want to
make very clear that I make no claim that what I say is correct, or that
there may not be a  better way to manage here.  I do think you have
given us a series of circumstances that require careful evaluation of
hive conditions, and chose between several possible management
decisions.  Everyone, please read this in that light! (I did note that
you addressed "W.G.", therefore I apologise for presumptiveness, but I
hope another answer might evoke more comment!   Thanks)       Bob
Barnett
 
>
> Dear W. G.,
>
>(snip) The hive is essentially unattended during the summer as it is > >at a seasonal residence in Arizona.  On returning to Arizona this   >winter, I removed the supers and installed apistan strips for about 6 >weeks.  I removed them and only then checked the hive for brood and >activity.
 
1. When first back in Arizona, on a warm day, 60 F. or better, I would
have gone thru this colony in detail, looked at brood for pattern,
content and found a. the queen (I consider you a hobby beekeeper as I
am), b. stores, c.  removed surplus honey as you did apparently, and
d.  placed apistan strips and e.  sugar-crisco patties.
 
>All this time, bee population seemed very good.  On checking, found >only capped drone cells.  No workers.  The queen either died or became >a drone layer, but not sure which.  I could not locate a queen so >dumped all frames on the ground and cleaned them of bees.  I installed >a queen excluder at the entrance so her majesty could not reenter the >combs.
 
2.  The month, temperature not stated, but obviously a queen was
available.  Here, there are two possibilities: a. The queen died more
than 21 days ago, but less that 23 days ago (no workers, but drones), or
b. there is a living, drone laying queen here, or c.  there are laying
worker(s)---multiple eggs in single worker cells, placed in most
haphazard fashion, vertically, horizontally, eccentrically on bottom of
cells, and/or on side walls of cells  (occasionally, a normal queen with
no cells to lay in will lay multiple eggs in single cells).  In any
event, the queen must be found, or/and  eliminated.  I might have taken
the brood box and all its bees 100 yards away, dumped them on the
ground, and placed the box and frames back under the colony on its
stand.  This will leave laying workers unable to find their way back,
and possibly, the drone laying queen.  I believe you could have found
this queen, had she been there, or recognized the laying worker pattern.
 
>I ordered a new queen and installed it in the hive about a week after >doing all the above and the queen was released by the bees.  I checked >about 2 weeks later for activity, and could still find no brood.  >So--she was probably killed.
 
3.  To assist installation of queen here:  *Try* to get two frames of
brood from another colony, place them in the central broodbox and place
queen cage between them, cork IN, leave it so for two days, then remove.
The longer this queen is exposed to colony before release, the more
likely acceptance; do not go in to check on her for 14 days (reduce risk
of balling).   Another possibility is a congenitally defective queen, or
one that is not laying in two weeks (Rare)
 
> Now there are still a lot of bees in the hive but unless queened, it >is doomed.  I bought a new nuc and installed it in another nearby hive.  >The question I have is can I sucessfully place the old hive on top of >the new hive and in that way save the old existing workforce.  Or would >I be better to just let the old one die out or possibly dump the old >bees on the ground outside the new hive and it they go in and are >accepted so much the better.  I am concerned about just placing the old >hive on the new in case the old hive workers want to do in the new >hive's queen.
 
4. I presume here you bought a four frame nucleus containing a laying
queen and frames containing brood.  In my opinion, no method of
requeening approaches the certainty of success as requeening with a
nucleus.  Try this:  a. From the queenless, broodless colony remove four
frames on one side of the brood box.  b.  Find the Queen in the nucleus,
and place her in the brood box first, with the queen between the wall
and her frame, as far as possible from the bees of the old colony, then
place the other three frames of the nuc in order toward the center.
c. Placing newspaper etc is not necessary, but do it if it makes you
happier!
 
What you propose above is (to me) a more complex and involved series of
moves, in that you have two colonies in different locations in the same
yard, meaning bees from the "moved" colony(Nuc) tend to fly back to
their old location and are in part lost to the united colony.  If the
functional nuc is brought in from elsewhere and installed in the sick
hive no bees are lost.  If you wish to "dump" the Queenless bees in
front of their hive, think about putting down an old white sheet on the
ground in front of it, shake its bees onto the far end, and many many
will crawl over the sheet and back into the colony.  If there IS a queen
in it there is a good chance you will see her crawl over the white
sheet, and can pick  her up.  You don't want to put your nuc into a
colony with a queen.   This may be too basis to you, but perhaps someone
will pick up a small point.  Thanks again!   Bob Barnett (Birmingham Al)
 
> I'd appreciate any suggestions.
>
> Gordon S.