Need Opinions

[timdalyiii]

I started with a package this spring (March).  I hadn't checked in a few weeks.  Sunday my neighbor had two swarms (1 smallish, 1 tiny) in his trees.  I got both. 

I checked all today.  My package has bees, but no brood except a small patch of drones.  The smallish swarm looks like it has some brood.  The tiny one is on crapy equipment that doesn't fit so I'm not sure what to do with that or what the status is. 

Option 1: I'm thinking of checking the smallish one this weekend and if there is a good amount of brood to take a frame or so from that and put it in the package hive to let them make a queen if they need one. 

Option 2: If there are still no brood in the package hive this weekend, assume no queen and do a newspaper combine with smallish. 

Any other suggestions?

[GSF]

Do you know how to check for laying workers? If you have laying workers they'll most like likely kill the queen. Multiple eggs in a cell and/or eggs on top if pollen. It could be that your queen is in there but not mated. Pinch her and introduce another one. Ask the seller to supply you with another queen. Offer pictures and to return the other queen.

[Acebird]

It could be that the package swarmed and the virgin queen left behind has not started to lay or she is the drone layer.
Two months after you installed a package you want the guy to ask for a free queen?  Who would do that?

[timdalyiii]

Today I checked all three.  No brood at all.  I guess there are either some virgins that haven't mated/started laying yet or I'm queenless. 

How long do I wait before trying to get a queen?

[Captain776]

Do you see any Queen cells in your hopes?
Before you run out and buy a Queen, you need to make SURE you don't have one.
They may be superseding her naturally or you could have had a swarm.

Takes 21 days for Queen to emerge, a few days for her to be able to fly, and  a week after mated to get the egg laying process down, you can be 4 or 5 weeks before you see eggs from a newly mated Queen

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

[timdalyiii]

Huh.  Now I have brood in all 3.  My new problem is that I don't have nearly enough equipment for three colonies.   

That's a great problem to have. 

[BeeMaster2]

When you have new queens, you do not want to bee inspecting the hives. She needs time to prove her self as a good queen. Be careful.  The bees can kill a queen due to too much intrusion.

[timdalyiii]

Thanks!


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[Rurification]

Huh.  Now I have brood in all 3.  My new problem is that I don't have nearly enough equipment for three colonies.   

That's a great problem to have.

The story of my [beekeeping] life.   Always need more boxes...