I have a 12 day old swarm in a deep box. The swarm is on mostly new foundation. I am seeing eggs on the screen bottom tray (also the normal hatched egg cases which resemble small rice grains opened on one end and a light cream in color).
I treated the hive with a grease-sugar patty/essential eucalyptus oil / lemongrass oil to combat suspected tracheal mites.
Have others seen egg dropping in new swarms. Is this a side effect of the menthol-lyptus treatment or is it the queen overrunning the ability of the swarm to draw new cells on fresh foundation? The skeptics of menthol treatment report young larvae effects (as per formic) so I suppose eggs death is not impossible.
Any others with experience watching swarms on fresh foundation seeing the loss of eggs through the bottom board? I will remove the oil patty today and look for a change in egg behavior.
I've seen wax scales but not eggs. I've never treated for tracheal mites either so one may be related to another.
i have seen it. posted pics years ago, but they are gone now. there were many eggs on the bottom board of one hive. the hive was not treated at the time, so i have no idea to this day why it happened. the hive was healthy as i recall.
if i had to guess, i'd say that a new queen was laying multiple eggs and the workers were cleaning out the extras and dropping them. that's just a guess. i have never seen it again.
In one of my hives, I noticed multiple eggs with a young queen. I left them alone for almost 4 weeks so I can't say I saw them cleaning out extra's. I can say the hive is doing well today.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EVyVg8TEhrU/TAc5qtop-PI/AAAAAAAAAjk/jJuGsHgDYSI/s800/check%20001.jpg)
Clickable img - also can magnify
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EVyVg8TEhrU/TAdAHIACF3I/AAAAAAAAAj0/_50nGMAqIR4/s800/eggcheck.JPG) (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zWW1MHT0soh8aYPpGCe34YAB-D-bhA4VQT6QuUSe6LQ?feat=embedwebsite)