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Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />The queen bee is the most important member of a colony. If something happens to her and she is not <br />VXFFHVVIXOO\UHSODFHGE\WKHEHHVRUEHHNHHSHUWKHFRORQ\ZLOOIDLO$VDEHHNHHSHULWLVLPSRUWDQWWR <br />UHFRJQL]HZKHQWRLQWHUYHQHDQGZKHQLWLVEHWWHUWROHWWKHEHHV¿[WKHSUREOHPZLWKRXWLQWHUYHQWLRQ)LJXULQJ <br />WKLVRXWFDQEHGLI¿FXOWHYHQIRUH[SHULHQFHGEHHNHHSHUVZKLFKLVZK\LWLVFRPPRQIRUEHHNHHSHUVWRWDON <br />DERXWTXHHQ³SUREOHPV´³LVVXHV´RUTXHHQV³IDLOLQJ´+DYLQJDPHQWRULVLQYDOXDEOHDV\RXOHDUQWRLGHQWLI\ <br />and resolve queen problems. <br />4XHHQEHHSUREOHPVFDQFRPHLQDQXPEHURIIRUPV<RXPD\KDYHSXUFKDVHGDSDFNDJHRIEHHV <br />LQWURGXFHGWKHTXHHQDQGREVHUYHGKHUOD\LQJHJJVEHDXWLIXOO\IRUDIHZZHHNVEXWWKHQ³DOORIWKHVXGGHQ´ <br />\RXVHHTXHHQFHOOVDQGQRHJJV<RXPD\KDYHDVWURQJFRORQ\WKDWVXUYLYHGZLQWHUDQG³DOORIWKHVXGGHQ´ <br />WKH\VZDUP<RXPD\KDYHDTXHHQWKDWRYHUWLPHOD\VRQO\GURQHGHVWLQHGHJJV2U\RXPD\KDYHDFRORQ\ <br />WKDWKDVEHHQZLWKRXWDTXHHQ ³TXHHQOHVV´ VRORQJWKDWVRPHRIWKHZRUNHUVVWDUWOD\LQJXQIHUWLOL]HGHJJV <br />7KHKDUGWUXWKLVWKDWTXHHQLVVXHVDFWXDOO\PD\EHGXHWRDQLQDGYHUWHQWDFWLRQE\WKHEHHNHHSHURUWRVRPH <br />other problem within the colony. Queens often get blamed for circumstances out of their control. <br />There are also issues that stem from the physiology and health of the queen herself. It used to be that many <br />TXHHQEHHVOLYHG\HDUV,IDTXHHQZDVPDUNHGZLWKDGDERISDLQWRQKHUWKRUD[VKHFRXOGEHIRXQG <br />ZLWKWKHVDPHPDUNDIWHUVHYHUDO\HDUV+RZHYHUPDQ\EHHNHHSHUVVD\WKDWWKLVLVQRORQJHUFRPPRQDV <br />TXHHQVDUHQRWOLYLQJDVORQJDVWKH\XVHGWRDQGQRRQHNQRZVZK\5HVHDUFKHUVDUHWU\LQJWRVROYHWKH <br />P\VWHU\E\LQYHVWLJDWLQJWKHHIIHFWVRISDWKRJHQVSHVWLFLGHUHVLGXHV IURPWKHHQYLURQPHQWDQGSURGXFWV <br />XVHGE\EHHNHHSHUVWRFRQWUROYDUURDPLWHV DQGRWKHUVWUHVVRUVOLNHH[SRVXUHWRH[WUHPHWHPSHUDWXUHV8QWLO <br />ZHXQGHUVWDQGWKHURRWRIWKHSUREOHPLW¶VEHVWIRUHYHU\EHHNHHSHUWREHFRPHIDPLOLDUZLWKZD\VWRSURYLGH <br />tender loving care to the most important female in your colony. <br />IS YOUR COLONY QUEENRIGHT? <br />Checklist <br />QueenrightLVWKHEHHNHHSLQJWHUPIRUDFRORQ\WKDWKDVDQDSSDUHQWO\KHDOWK\TXHHQ7R¿JXUHRXWLI\RXU <br />FRORQ\LVTXHHQULJKWLWLVEHVWWRWKLQNWKURXJKWKLVFKHFNOLVW <br />:KDWVHDVRQLVLW"4XHHQVVWDUWOD\LQJHJJVLQODWHZLQWHUDQGUDPSXSHJJOD\LQJZKHQÀRZHUV <br />bloom in late April and May. They continue to lay eggs all summer, but beginning in late September <br />and into October, queens stop laying eggs for the winter. The colony will still be queenright but you <br />PD\QRW¿QGDQ\HJJVLQODWHIDOO <br />$UHWKHUHHJJV",IDFRPEZLWKLQWKHEURRGQHVWORRNVHPSW\XSRQ¿UVWJODQFHFKHFNDOLWWOHFORVHUWR <br />VHHLIWKHUHDUHDFWXDOO\HJJVLQWKHFHOOV$GMXVWWKHIUDPHVRWKHVXQVKLQHVGRZQLQWRWKHFHOOV7KLV <br />LVHDVLHVWLIWKHVXQLVVKLQLQJRQ\RXUEDFN,I\RXVHHRQHHJJSHUFHOOLQZRUNHUGLDPHWHUFHOOVWKHQ <br />WKHTXHHQLVVRPHZKHUHLQWKHFRORQ\6RPHWLPHVLWWDNHVDZKLOHWRVHHWKHVPDOOHJJDWWKHERWWRP <br />RIWKHFHOOEXWRQFH\RXVHHHJJV\RXZLOODOZD\VUHFRJQL]HWKHP2QHZD\WR¿QGHJJVLVWROHW\RXU <br />eye scan over cells that contain small larvae. As your eye moves toward the edge of the comb, when <br />\RXVWRSVHHLQJODUYDHWKHFHOOVQH[WWRWKHPZLOOOLNHO\FRQWDLQHJJV$QRWKHUWULHGDQGWUXHZD\WR¿QG <br />HJJVLVWRKDYHDNHHQH\HGSHUVRQ FKLOGUHQDUHJUHDWDWWKLV ORRNIRU\RX,I\RXVHHROGHUODUYDHDQG <br />pupae, but no eggs, the colony may not be queenright. Search other combs within the brood nest for <br />HJJVWRFRQ¿UP <br />,I\RXFDQ¶W¿QGHJJVDQGWKLQN\RXUFRORQ\LVTXHHQOHVV\RXPD\RUPD\QRWEHULJKW%HIRUH\RX <br />APPENDIX B: TROUBLESHOOTING <br />QUEEN PROBLEMS