Queen still laying a decent patch on 8 October at 60°N — good sign, or a headache for my broodless treatment?
Uppsala, third year, four colonies. I had a quick look under the crownboard on Wednesday because one hive felt oddly light, and while I was in there I saw an unmistakable palm-sized patch of sealed brood and some young larvae in the middle of the top box. Everything I read about Nordic beekeeping says brood rearing should be finished by now.
Two minds about it. On the one hand, a queen still laying in October at this latitude with the daylight we've got is either a very good queen or a confused one, and young bees now are bees that haven't burned themselves out before winter. On the other hand, my whole varroa plan for December depends on the colony being properly broodless, and if this one keeps trickling brood out I lose my one clean shot of the year.
What do the northern beekeepers here do? Do you just wait — the cold ends it eventually — or is there a point where you'd intervene? I don't want to be standing in the snow in January still waiting for a broodless window that never quite arrives.
Skåne, eight years. It's normal enough and it's usually a good queen, not a broken one. Cold will finish it. Practically: note the date you last see eggs, then count about three weeks forward — that's when the last of that brood has emerged and the colony is genuinely broodless. In most Swedish winters that lands late November to mid December and you treat in that window on a day you can get to the cluster.
HokkaidoHachi · Oct 9, 2026
Hokkaido, similar latitude feel. Same method — last eggs plus three weeks. I stopped trying to force it. One year I saw a hive with a tiny patch of brood in late December during a mild spell and treated anyway; the result was a partial knockdown and mites that bounced back by March. Better to wait a fortnight than to treat over brood.
ImkerinLena · Oct 9, 2026
Bavaria. Agreed, and whatever product you use, follow the label for your country on timing and conditions — the instructions exist because effectiveness and bee safety both depend on brood status and temperature. LindenNora, also check that light feeling: brood rearing in October eats stores fast, and a colony making winter bees in the cold can drink itself thin.
LindenNora · Oct 10, 2026
Noted the date in my book. And you were right about the weight — I put a block of fondant on yesterday and it's already dented. Thanks both.