I"m having problems with a new hive.
It was a three pound package installed the first week of May in a deep ten frame lang. I thought I may have installed the queen cage wrong so i took a quick peek the next day and the queen was already released. Normally I would have left them for a week.
First inspection - a little over a week later showed the queen was no were to be found. No eggs,no brood.nothing. The bees were building comb and bring in some pollen. I assumed they were queenless so I ordered a new queen. Installed her the next day.
Second inspection - 5/28 Drone larva and caped drone cells. No caped worker cells. Very eratic pattern. I did find the queen but she looked a little odd. Had a dark abdomen instead of the reddish abdomen I thought she should have. I didn't think a drone laying queen would do me any good so I pinched her and discarded her. I took a frame of eggs and caped brood from my other hive and gave it to them.
Any advise on were to go from here would be appreciated.
Thank You
John
Quote from: S.M.N.Bee on May 30, 2011, 03:19:28 AM
First inspection - a little over a week later showed the queen was no were to be found. No eggs,no brood.nothing. The bees were building comb and bring in some pollen. I assumed they were queenless so I ordered a new queen.
I would have waited another week. Sometimes it'll take a queen two weeks before she begins laying.
QuoteSecond inspection ...I did find the queen but she looked a little odd. Had a dark abdomen instead of the reddish abdomen
Queens can be different colors, or are you saying this queen was a different color than you installed earlier?
Quote...Drone larva
How can you tell it's drone larva before it's capped?
QuoteI took a frame of eggs and caped brood from my other hive and gave it to them.
I don't think I would have been so quick to pinch the queen, but adding a frame with eggs & brood is always a good move. Repeat as needed.
Quote from: S.M.N.Bee on May 30, 2011, 03:19:28 AM
Drone larva and caped drone cells. No caped worker cells. Very eratic pattern.
I agree with the advice from Mr. Partridge. Give the queen more time. I have noticed that newly mated queens will lay more drones and lay erratically as you describe. Just give her time to get her rhythm.
Thanks guys
Maybe I did over react but a queen laying drones did not seem good to me.
Indy - I said drone larva because the bees were starting to build the dome shaped cap over these cells.
John
most of the queen supliers i know will not sell a queen that doesn't have a good laying pattern. that's the way I do when making my own queens. i give them enough time to start laying and THEN if I don't like the pattern I do the hive tool test on them.
It depends on the time of year sometimes they will lay drones then start laying workers i had a queen like that already who i thought wasnt any good then just like that she started laying a solid pattern of worker brood chris
>Maybe I did over react but a queen laying drones did not seem good to me.
A queen who lays 100% drones has failed and must be replaced. A queen who lays 20% drones this time of year is normal.