Have a queenless hive. (had swarmed earlier in the year, went queenless somehow after multiple inspections - possibly/likely after-swarms had occurred, requeened with purchased laying queen, saw the queen a week later, but she wasn't laying much at all if any, then now after 2 inspections following that over 3.5 weeks hive is again queenless). I did catch the large swarm and that hive is doing o.k.
I was able to get a queen easily from my mentor beekeeper for the queenless hive.
I installed last night, but am concerned because I just couldn't find much space where she was going to be able to lay eggs. frames in both hive bodies are jammed with pollen and/or backfilled with nectar.
I didn't have any good open frames to put in there although I did have one totally blank - nondrawn out crimp-wire foundation frame in the hive. But clearly this hive had stopped working the super weeks ago and were not drawing out super frames or this other blank hive body frame.
If she is accepted as queen will the bees make room for her to lay eggs? how does this process usually go? I didn't want to steal frames from my other hives as (1) they are kind of smouldering along as it is with the poor spring weather we are having (2) I had already inpected those hives and didn't feel like going back into them with all the supers on them - seemed like too much work and would redisturb the hives.
Anything else I can/should do so the queen has room to lay eggs.
thoughts appreciated.
if you have an empty, drawn, frame in any of your other hives, i'd take it and swap it for the undrawn frame. it won't disturb them that much. if she gets laying, and you still have a nectar flow, it may get the hive working again. at the lease, they'll use stores to feed brood and hopefully free up space.
in fact....if you have a couple of drawn frames in other hives, swap a frame of that honey or pollen for a drawn frame also.