Last year I had problems rearing mated queens which was certainly down to the bad weather as from the 20th may to the end of June the rain was almost continuous. It was actually surprising to find queens that mated successfully. This year, again drone breeders are a problem. So far 1 out of 3 colonies has a drone layer- again the bad weather began just after the splits had occurred. I've still another 2 queens to check. Last time I looked, there was eggs and larvae so just waiting for the brood to be sealed. This year I blame that wayward jet stream for my poorly mated queens. Like Jimbo, there were no pesticides found in my sample tested by Keele uni.