What Happens To A Queenless Hive?

In a queenless hive, the colony enters a state of rapid decline that will lead to its demise if left unaddressed.

The intricate social structure and reproductive cycle, which depend on the queen, begin to unravel, leading to dramatic changes in behavior, population, and overall health. The process unfolds in stages, with the outcome dependent on whether the bees are able to raise a new queen in time.

The stages of a queenless hive

Phase 1: Initial chaos and emergency response (Day 1–3)

• Loss of queen pheromone: A queen constantly produces a pheromone that suppresses the workers' ovaries and maintains the colony's social cohesion. When the queen dies or is removed, this pheromone quickly disappears. The hive recognizes its queenless state within a matter of hours.
• Emergency queen-rearing: The workers, particularly the young nurse bees, begin a frantic effort to replace the lost queen. They will find newly laid female larvae, typically less than three days old, and start feeding them a special diet of royal jelly. They modify the worker cells into larger, vertical "emergency queen cells" to accommodate the developing queens.
• Increased aggression and distress: Without the calming effect of the queen's pheromone, the bees may become irritable, aggressive, or unusually defensive. Some beekeepers note a high-pitched "queenless roar" or whine coming from the hive.

Phase 2: Transition and population drop (Days 4–30)

• Brood nest changes: With no new eggs being laid, the brood nest—the area where the queen lays eggs—will progressively empty. Over time, the frames will show fewer larvae and pupae. Bees will often backfill these empty brood cells with nectar and pollen.
• Virgin queen emerges: Approximately 16 days after the egg was laid, the first virgin queen will emerge from her cell. Her first act is to seek out and sting her rivals still developing in other queen cells. If two virgin queens emerge simultaneously, they will fight to the death.
• Mating flights: The new virgin queen will take mating flights over the next few days to mate with multiple drones from other colonies. This is a perilous process, and she could be lost to predators or poor weather, which would spell doom for the hive.
• Declining population: If the new queen is not successful, the colony's population will begin to shrink. The existing worker bees will live out their natural lifespan, but no new workers are emerging to replace them.

Phase 3: The point of no return: Laying workers (3–4 weeks)

• Ovary development in workers: If the hive remains queenless for several weeks, and the brood pheromones have disappeared, the ovaries of some worker bees will begin to develop. Since worker bees are not mated, they can only lay unfertilized eggs, which develop exclusively into male bees (drones).
• Signs of laying workers: Laying workers can be identified by a telltale "shotgun" or spotty brood pattern, with multiple eggs laid haphazardly in each cell. The eggs may also be laid on the side walls of cells, unlike a queen who lays one egg neatly centered at the bottom.
• Hopelessly queenless state: The presence of laying workers signifies a "hopelessly queenless" state. Because the workers now perceive they have a queen (themselves), they will violently reject any new, commercially introduced queen. A colony with laying workers is notoriously difficult, and often impossible, to fix.

Phase 4: Inevitable collapse

• Domination by drones: The unfertilized eggs laid by workers will produce only drones. Without new female worker bees to forage, care for the brood, and defend the hive, the colony will become unbalanced and eventually collapse.
• Increased vulnerability: As the population dwindles, the hive becomes susceptible to pests like wax moths and small hive beetles, which can destroy the precious comb. It is also vulnerable to robbing by stronger, healthy neighboring colonies.
• The end: Within a few months, the remaining bees will die of old age, or the colony will succumb to pests, starvation, or disease.

Why a hive becomes queenless

A colony can lose its queen for several reasons:

• Accidental death: A beekeeper may accidentally crush the queen during an inspection.
• Mating flight failure: A newly emerged virgin queen might be killed by a predator, lost, or injured during her mating flights.
• Aging or failing queen: A queen's fertility and pheromone production diminish with age. The workers may decide to supersede her (replace her by raising a new queen).
• Swarming: During a swarm, the old queen leaves with a portion of the colony to establish a new home, leaving the original hive with a new, developing queen.

Beekeeping interventions for a queenless hive

A beekeeper must act quickly to save a queenless colony.

• Introduce a new queen: If the hive is newly queenless and has not developed laying workers, a new, mated queen can be introduced in a cage. The beekeeper waits for the workers to get used to the new queen's scent before releasing her.
• Add young brood: For a newly queenless hive, a frame of young eggs and larvae can be borrowed from a healthy hive. The bees will then have the resources to raise an emergency queen.
• Combine with a queenright hive: A "hopelessly queenless" colony with laying workers is often beyond saving on its own. The best option is to merge it with a strong, healthy queenright hive using the newspaper method. This allows the bees to slowly integrate without conflict.
• Shake out the bees: For a severely compromised hive, some beekeepers will simply shake the bees out away from the apiary. Foraging workers will drift to other hives, while laying workers—being weighed down with eggs—are less likely to find a new home.