The Queen is a working Mom

Queen laying an egg

After finding a mate or several mates, the Queen honey bee dedicates her life to her duties. Her role is to replace bees that die and expand the colony. However, for her to fulfill her responsibilities, assistance is crucial. This is where the worker bees play their part.

The Queen is a highly responsible mother, and like any mother, she requires certain items to carry out her duties. If these items aren't available, she will wait. Her needs can be easily explained by comparing them to those of a human mother. Firstly, she requires a place to keep her "babies"; she needs to feed them and have someone to look after them. I refer to these needs as a crib, baby formula, and babysitters.

The crib bed consists of empty comb cells, which must be cleaned after each use. The bees cannot overlook this task because it will be inspected. One benefit the bees possess is their ability to determine the gender of the offspring. During the egg-laying process, the queen measures the size of the cell; if it is worker-sized, it will be a girl (worker). If the cell is larger, it will be a boy (drone). However, since the queen measures in the dark, if she encounters a larger honey cell, she will lay a biy. This is why extracted honeycomb should not be used in the brood chamber, as it generally leads to an abundance of drones.

Second, there must be available food which we call "bee bread". This is rich in protein and needed for the growth of the eggs and larvae. The older bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers. The flower pollen provides much of the minerals, vitamins and proteins. The saliva from the bee gives additional nutritional components and anti-microbial properties. In addition to providing energy for the workers, the sugars in nectar are also important in processing the pollen into bee bread by starting the fermentation process. Once the mixture is complete, it is stored in cells with a thin layer of honey to prevent the mixture from oxygen while the fermentation process takes place.

Finally, there must be someone to feed and care for them as they grow - we call them nurse bees. Young emerged bees whose glands are active in producing "royal jelly". In addition to feeding the young larvae the nurse bees also tend to the needs of the queen.

Three essentials: a crib, baby formula, and babysitters. All are crucial for the Queen to lay. If any are absent, as a beekeeper, you must provide for her needs to ensure she continues laying.

Crib - A source of sugar is needed to activate the worker's wax glands to build comb. Nectar and pollen are nature's way but if they are not available you will need to provide with sugar syrup or fondant. You can also add drawn comb to the colony to give the Queen a place to lay. Be alert during the honey flow to make sure there is sufficient room for her to lay. The bees will use every available cell to store nectar including those that the Queen would have used to lay her eggs.

Baby food - When natural pollen sources are scarce, it's essential to supply a pollen supplement in the form of pollen patties or a pollen "substitute." This is especially crucial in early spring or late summer when natural pollen is limited.

Babysitters - If there has been a lack of laying or when adding a new queen, adding a frame of capped brood assures the queen she will soon have nurse bees. You can also brush nurse bees from a frame from another hive onto the landing board. The nurse bees will enter the hive, and any foragers will fly back to the original hive.

Before concluding that your queen is weak, ensure she has all the necessary elements to encourage her to lay eggs.