# Black bee in hive?



## hmaxims (Jul 18, 2016)

First year beekeeper here in New England and newbie to the website. I am on a 5 year plan to move further north and start a farm (in 5 years but starting now). I'll add my bee experiences a little later but I just opened my hive to check on a queen I requeened 10 days ago and I saw this black bee. Is it just a young one? Curious. It was actually out of the hive and near the boardman feeder I just pulled to refill! I plan on looking at some of my reference books in case it means trouble. Drone?


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## hmaxims (Jul 18, 2016)

Here is the new queen, she was in there this morning. As soon as I found her I took some quick pics and closed up the hive. 

First year update: I bought a nuc late this spring from the bee supplier near me (who I also took a dozen classes with this spring). The late start was due to my birthday falling in mid May and I got all the stuff as a gift. 

Hive just doesn't seem to be growing. The original 5 nucs were full of brood when I got them and the queen seemed good. Then she stopped laying and I just dont have the numbers. No new drawn comb and they havent left the original 5 frames. I have sugar syrup out for them when there is no nectar flow and admittedly, I may have been in the hive too much at first - but I haven't been lately. 

I know its hard without photos, but I would just be sharing photos of empty brood


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

My bees were hesitant to expand onto new frames: I have decided to apply wax to my plastic frames to encourage them. I have read that some bees dislike plastic while others accept it. So, yesterday I bought beeswax to apply.

I also feed them sugar water all of the time, because hives build up faster in times of plenty.

As for your one black bee, might she be from a different hive? I have heard that a young bee who drifts to another hive has a fair chance at being accepted by the hive, and once she smells like the hive there will not be a problem. Bees care more about how a bee smells than how she looks like.


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## hmaxims (Jul 18, 2016)

I actually started with wax frames because the local beek was adamant against using plastic. His personal preference ingrained on me. So I think it's more. I'm just preparing myself mentally that if they don't grow, I will most likely lose them over winter. Not sure what else I am missing. 

I dont know about it being from another hive, but could be, I did find a drone in my yard before I had my hive. But it's awfully big compared to others. If I knew I wouldn't have posted! Thanks!


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## Steve in PA (Nov 25, 2011)

Do you have eggs and capped brood? If they have been in the hive that long they have to be doing something as the normal life of a worker is 42 days +/- My guess is that they got started late and as the nectar slowed down they slowed with it. I like top feeders but whatever you use keep the 1:1 on them.

Some more pics of the hive would be helpful.

The black bee just looks like a dark Carni to me. The queen hooked up with as many drones as she could when she was out mating so you never know exactly what you will get. Genetics will be half hers and half any boy in the neighborhood for each egg.


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## hmaxims (Jul 18, 2016)

Thanks Steve. This is the only good photo I snapped. There is uncapped brood of different stages. Not much capped. 

I guess I never thought about the genetics and the fact that the bees are not all from same "father" for lack of a better term. 

I didn't take photos of all the frames. One frame was all just nectar. So clearly they are hitting the boardman feeder when there is a nectar dearth. Its so cool to try and figure out whats going on with them, but nerve wracking at the same time. I filled the sugar syrup with 1:1 today again.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Here in Michigan it is just so dry so there is not much for the bees to gather. So with not much coming in the queen will shut down, No not stop laying totally but just enough to keep the population at the present level

Syrup should help but unless it is kept on full time it won't. 

The black bee is normal, if you watch close you will see a few more also.

 Al


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## Steve in PA (Nov 25, 2011)

I agree with everything Alleyyooper said. He (she?) knows his stuff.

I would guess that they just never got off to a roaring start for one reason or another. Looking at the uncapped brood it looks like "dry brood" to me which would make sense this time of year as most are in a dearth or near so. We don't know where you are currently located so that makes things a little more difficult to guess at. You get what you pay for with free internet help.  There also looks to be a bunch of eggs which may correspond to you adding the feeder since they are only eggs for 3 days.

This would be a good read for you. That site has helped me out many times. It has a picture of dry brood as well so you can decide for yourself.

Keep the 1:1 feed on them. Are they bringing in any pollen?


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## hmaxims (Jul 18, 2016)

Actually, that occurred to me the other day - pollen. I had sunflowers and squash blooms in my garden and the bees were all over it. When I saw that it clicked. no pollen, no bee bread, no feeding larva. 

I ordered some pollen to supplement as well as the sugar syrup. I figure I have nothing to left to lose except the bees if they don't populate before winter. I read people use this in the spring to increase brood. What the heck....

I am in Massachusetts. My father in law is Pres. of his beek club in FL - but I can only get general advice from him. So different between the two states.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

hmaxims said:


> So different between the two states.


Yes, it really is: Eastern Kansas does not have a shortage of pollen this year, and it did not occur to me that your state might!


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## Agriculture (Jun 8, 2015)

Black bees matter.


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