>>Why are all the queen problems happening since we started putting chemicals in bee hives... Chemicals of all sorts have an effect... I removed this summer one feral colony from a location that had had bees before and had been sprayed with a hornet spray years earlier. This colony was from a spring swarm. The colony numbers were not bad, there was no worker brood at all and only some last emerging drone brood. I figured they had lost their queen... I shook all the vac'ed bees into a bee hive and checked them frame by frame 2 days later. I was a little surprised to find a virgin queen on aframe. She *looked* mature but the abdomen was small. I kept her for another week and a half before dispatching her. I believe some chemicals cause queens to either not take mating flights or cause them to be sterile. It's another case for not using chemicals... Waldemar Long Island, NY -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---