Any brood frames available?

[Sandra Draus]

Hi,

Package queen died, waited a week or two and still no queen or queen cells so bought a new queen.  Apparently she was not accepted , no brood after a few weeks.  Basically just drones now, with worker laid infertile eggs.  State bee inspector suggested if I could obtain  frame or two of brood from someone who would just as soon not have them-due to possible swarming- that might be useful.

Anyone have frame or two of brood they would want to give up? I could pay for some too.  If so, please text at 608 239-8861.

Thanks for considering.

Sandra

[Joseph Bessetti]

Hi Sandra,

Sounds like you probably need both a few frames of brood and bees plus a queen. That’s essentially a nucleus colony. I would not try to get them to raise a queen, as that will take another 30 days and the number of bees will dwindle further.

How many frames of drawn comb do you have, and how many frames are still covered with workers?  Also, how long has it been since you had brood in the hive? 

Joe

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[Greg V]

This colony is doomed...
..................  just drones now, with worker laid infertile eggs ...........

Even if you obtain a brood frame, they will not likely raise a queen for you because they now "think" they have a queen.
The State bee inspector gave you misleading info, unfortunately. 

You should start clean if still want to pursue this bee project this year—it's not too late yet.

You should terminate (i.e., dump) the existing colony if you want to start clean.

You'd need to obtain a full nuc or a package again OR try catching a swarm - using your empty used hive as a bait.

On Wed, Jul 15, 2026 at 1:19 PM Sandra Draus <smd...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Sandra Draus]

Morning,

Thanks for the responses.  I haven’t seen brood since May 22. New queen installed 6/16 .  I know the situation is not good.  Guess I need to decide if I want to try again at this point in the year.

Sandra

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[Joseph Bessetti]

You are basically starting over at this point, plus you have laying workers making it more difficult.

I have many colonies, so I always just shake out the bees from any that get to this point and focus my attention on getting the good ones ready for winter.  Not many nucs for sale now.

Joe

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[Margaret Krome]

Is this your only hive, Sandra?  If so, I hate to see you unable to be a beekeeper for the rest of this year, and I'm glad to share some bees to help you work with another colony, but I won't be out at my apiary until Sunday of this weekend, and it's not conveniently located - out on the other side of Highland, WI in the SW part of the state.  Please let me know if you'd like to come out.

mk

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Margaret Krome
Sustainable Agriculture Policy Consultant

(608) 628-2503

[Sandra Draus]

Highland is a bit far, but thanks for the offer!

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