Hive not expanding

[Ewen]

Hi keepers,

So I’ve been having this particular hive for three years now. From year one it hasn’t been expanding much,no more than 5 frames occupied.Last year I decided to give them a new queen hoping they going to build more, however it remains pretty much the same. For example from my other two hives I’ve collected honey last year, this one stayed at 5 frame brood including stores, a poor performer. They all had the exact same treatment for varroa.I just don’t know what might be the reason.Yesterday during inspection found a few eggs and some stores, initially I thought the queen is no more, I did found her tho in the end, she was in there doing nothing!!. My other two hives are doing very well, on one I had to add on a super and it has uncapped honey on three of the frames,and on the other one it’s nearly full with brood and needs a supper adding soon.I have changed the brood boxes on all of the hives as well.
I’m thinking to combine the poor performer with the other two as last resort.

[Cable_Fairy]

Are your hives all in one location?

[Alfred]

The last new queen I bought is hopeless - she can hold down two frames of brood max-I have a feral cast-queen that runs rings round her.
It might be the same with yours.
Also with your treatment -it might be good to do it again -what did you use?
Some colonies are slower to pick up than others so wait a couple more weeks before getting heavy handed.

[Ewen]

Are your hives all in one location?

Hi,
All hives in one line.

[Ewen]

The last new queen I bought is hopeless - she can hold down two frames of brood max-I have a feral cast-queen that runs rings round her.
It might be the same with yours.
Also with your treatment -it might be good to do it again -what did you use?
Some colonies are slower to pick up than others so wait a couple more weeks before getting heavy handed.

I’ve re queen all the hives last year because of temperament from same queen breeder.
I’ve treated last September all hives with Apilife Var and this spring with VarroMed.
I will give them another chance.

[NigelP]

I’ve re queen all the hives last year because of temperament from same queen breeder.

What type of queens is he/she selling?
There is o substitute for knowing the quality of queens sold. Some of the worst sellers have half page adverts in the major rags. When I questioned one about some very aggressive carnolian queens I bought; I was told it was my fault for some obscure reason..
There area several stack 'em high sell them cheap merchants out there. Be careful whom you choose.

[AdamD]

A duff queen is the most likely reason.
Drone brood within the worker brood is a likely sign of a failing queen * although this might not happen if she is just 'poor'.
Yours is a good example of being able to compare colonies and why having just one colony is not such a good idea. How many frames of brood is in the poor colony compared to the others?
Depending on where you are, it's soon going to be a suitable time of year to raise your own queens - in the duff hive you could remove the queen, wait for a week, remove any queencells that have been produced and then place a frame of brood with brood in all stages in the centre of the brood-nest from your favourite other colony. If the colony is not getting stores in, a gently feed will do no harm as they are producing the queencell(s). After a week, remove all but one queencell and check that there are not any rogue ones on the other combs. The queen will emerge 8 days after sealing and will be ready to mate after a further 5 - 6 days. Then it's a matter of waiting for good weather.

*I happen to have one like this at the moment - I marked the colony as 'possible duff queen' a week ago. Yesterday there was one sealed and one nearly sealed queencell in the nuc. The 2022 queen is still there but I wonder how long she will last?

[AdamD]

I’ve re queen all the hives last year because of temperament from same queen breeder.

What type of queens is he/she selling?
There is o substitute for knowing the quality of queens sold. Some of the worst sellers have half page adverts in the major rags. When I questioned one about some very aggressive carnolian queens I bought; I was told it was my fault for some obscure reason..
There area several stack 'em high sell them cheap merchants out there. Be careful whom you choose.

There are breeders and there are importers; not all are the same. There are imported queens available now but you don't really know what you are going to get if the queens come from "our European supplier" That's why it's good to do your own.

[MickBBKA]

Are your hives all the same construction ?
Its weird but sometimes you do just get colonies that never expand. I had a colony about 6 or 7 years ago that never produced more than 8 frames of brood, but they did just stuff supers full of honey and produced more than some of my double brood colonies. That was before my queen rearing days and I so regret not building from her.