It’s easy to panic when you open a hive and don’t see a queen. Maybe the brood looks light, or you’ve got antsy bees, or things just feel off. The first instinct for a lot of beekeepers is to assume the queen is gone and jump straight to requeening. However, making that move too early can cost you time and money, especially if the colony already has a queen or is in the process of raising one.
In this post, I’ll walk you through what I do when I suspect a colony might be queenless. I’ll show you how to slow down, look at the right cues, and avoid making the kind of assumptions that end with a dead $40 queen and a still queenless hive.
Don’t Assume Too Fast
First things first: just because you didn’t see her doesn’t mean she’s not there.
There are days I do a full inspection and never lay eyes on the queen, and that’s totally normal. She may be on the far edge of a frame, tucked into a corner, or surrounded by workers. That’s why visual confirmation is helpful but not required.
When I suspect a colony might be queenless, I go down the list like this:
Are there eggs?
Is there open brood (larvae)?
Are there queen cells?
Is the behavior of the colony different than usual?
Finding eggs is my first priority. If you see eggs, you’ve got a queen that was alive within the last 72 hours—probably within the last 24. Larvae means she was there a few days ago. If you don’t see either, you still don’t need to panic, yet.
Reading the Colony’s Behavior
A queenless colony usually feels different. They act louder, more agitated, more disorganized. You may also notice changes in the colony’s behavior, including:
- Disorganized entrance traffic, with fewer purposeful foragers and more bees hovering or drifting near the landing board
- Bees clustering or bearding in unusual spots, like the hive front or bottom board, without clear reason
- Guard bees acting twitchy or overly defensive, reacting more aggressively to normal movement
Look at the Brood
If the colony is recently queenless, you’ll likely still see capped brood, and possibly even some open brood. But if there are no eggs, no larvae, and the capped brood is starting to dwindle, it’s time to really pay attention.
One of the biggest signs of a queenless colony is the absence of everything that looks like brood. A frame full of stored nectar and pollen without any brood is a sign that something’s wrong, especially if that frame used to have eggs.
If you see scattered drone brood, especially in worker-sized cells, you might have a laying worker situation starting to develop. That’s a whole other conversation, but it’s often the result of prolonged queenlessness.
Check for Queen Cells
If you’re not seeing eggs or the queen, the next place to look is for queen cells. Not all queen cells mean the same thing, so here’s what I look for:
Open queen cells with royal jelly = they’re raising a queen
Capped queen cells = queen is being raised or nearly ready to emerge
Emerged (torn open at the bottom) = virgin queen may already be in the hive
If I see open or capped queen cells, I usually reduce them to 2 or 3 of the best-looking ones and let them finish the job. If I come back a week later and still see no sign of a virgin queen having emerged, I reassess and consider introducing a mated queen.
Give It Time Before You Requeen
If you’re not certain the hive is queenless, do not attempt to introduce a new queen. Any existing queen, whether mated or virgin, will typically cause the colony to reject and kill the introduced queen, regardless of the release method. Always confirm the hive is queenless before moving forward.
Here’s my usual approach:
If I see queen cells, I leave the hive alone for at least 7 days.
I return and check for signs of a virgin queen or new eggs.
If at day 14 there are still no eggs, no queen, and no new cells, it’s time to find a mated queen.
Sometimes it takes a while for a virgin queen to emerge, mate, and start laying. Jumping in too early interrupts that process and wastes a perfectly good opportunity for the bees to solve the problem on their own.
The Frame of Eggs Test
If you’re still unsure whether a colony is queenless, one of the simplest ways to find out is to add a frame of eggs from another hive.
Here’s how I do it:
Pull a frame with fresh eggs and some young larvae from a healthy colony
Insert it into the suspected queenless hive
Come back in 3 days and look at the eggs
If they’ve started drawing out queen cells, the hive is queenless and trying to replace her. If not, there’s likely already a queen in there, or at least a virgin that’s still in play. Either way, you just saved yourself from making a bad requeening call.
I’ve used it many times, and it’s never steered me wrong.
If It Is Queenless… Now What?
Once you’re sure the colony is queenless, you’ve got a decision to make: do you let them raise their own, or do you requeen with a mated queen?
If you want the full breakdown of requeening methods, I’ve covered it in a separate post here: When and How To Requeen A Hive
My rule of thumb is this:
When in doubt, go with a mated queen. Yes, it’s going to cost a lot more than letting them make one on their own, but you’re giving about a month of productivity back to your colony, you’ve eliminated any potential drone mating issues, and there’s no risk of the queen not making it back safely from her mating flight.
Final Thoughts
Figuring out whether your colony is queenless isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes it takes a few inspections and a little bit of patience. But learning to slow down and look for the right signs is what separates a panicked reaction from a smart beekeeping decision.
If you’re not sure, check again. If you still don’t know, add a frame of eggs if you can get them. If you’re sure she’s gone, formulate the right strategy for your situation and make it happen. I believe in you!
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