need your help - queenless

Martin · May 15, 2011, 03:36:01 PM

HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THIS FORUM FOR A WHILE . HIVED A PACKAGE ON 4-2-11 . CHECKED FOR QUEEN RELEASE ON 4-6-11 SHE WAS OUT OF THE CAGE SO I DIDN'T GO ANY FARTHER. OPENED AGAIN ON 4-13-11 SAW THE QUEEN BUT NO SIGNS OF HER LAYING . THIS WAS ON OLD DRAWN COMB. OPENED AGAIN ON 4-25-11 COULD NOT FIND ANY SIGN OF THE QUEEN . NO EGGS , LARVAE , OR CAPPED BROOD. DID SEE ONE QUEEN CELL ON THE MIDDLE OF ONE FRAME SO I CLOSED THE HIVE AND HOPED FOR THE BEST. WENT BACK INTO THE HIVE LAST THURS 5-12-11. COULD NOT FIND THE QUEEN OR ANY QUEEN CELLS , HAD A FEW CAPPED DRONES AND A GOOD BIT OF UNCAPPED LARVAE. THE BES WERE STILL IN GOOD NUMBER AND WERE VERY DOCILE WORKED THEM WITH VERY LITTLE SMOKE . HIVED ANOTHER PACKAGE ON NEW EQUIP SAME DAY AND THEY ARE ALMOST FINISHED WITH A SECOND BROOD BOX. THANKS FOR YOUR IDEAS ON WHICH WAY TO GO . I AM IN THE PIEDMONT PART OF NC :?

AllenF · May 15, 2011, 03:40:41 PM

Take a frame of the young with eggs or day old (little c )larvae and put it into the weak hive. They may make a queen from that.

FRAMEshift · May 15, 2011, 05:25:01 PM

Quote from: MARTIN on May 15, 2011, 03:36:01 PM
OPENED AGAIN ON 4-25-11 COULD NOT FIND ANY SIGN OF THE QUEEN . NO EGGS , LARVAE , OR CAPPED BROOD. DID SEE ONE QUEEN CELL ON THE MIDDLE OF ONE FRAME SO I CLOSED THE HIVE AND HOPED FOR THE BEST. WENT BACK INTO THE HIVE LAST THURS 5-12-11. COULD NOT FIND THE QUEEN OR ANY QUEEN CELLS , HAD A FEW CAPPED DRONES AND A GOOD BIT OF UNCAPPED LARVAE

So on 4-25 you had a queen cell and no larvae. 18 days later you have uncapped larvae. Sounds like you have a queen to me. The only thing that bothers me is that if there was a capped queen cell, there should have also been capped worker brood on 4-25.

Unless you see signs of laying workers, like eggs on the side of a cell or multiple eggs in a cell, you are probably ok. Can't hurt to follow Allen's advice and add a frame of eggs so they can make a new queen if they want to.

Martin · May 15, 2011, 06:26:34 PM

THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE. I'M STILL NEW TO ALL OF THE INS AND OUTS .WHEN I FOUND THE CELL IT DID LOOK LIKE A SMALL PATCH OF WORKER BROOD AS WELL AS A FEW DRONE CELLS. BEING ON OLD COMB WITH SOME CAPPED STORES IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO BE SURE. ALSO WAS CONCERNEDABOUT THE LAYING WORKER DEAL . I'VE HEARD A LOT OF HORROR STORIES ABOUT THE LAYING WORKER . HOW MANY DAYS WOULD YOU SUGGEST BEFORE CHECKING AGAIN TO SE IF THE LARVAE TURNS OUT TO BE CAPPED WORKER OR DRONE. THANKS

FRAMEshift · May 15, 2011, 07:36:09 PM

Quote from: MARTIN on May 15, 2011, 06:26:34 PM
HOW MANY DAYS WOULD YOU SUGGEST BEFORE CHECKING AGAIN TO SE IF THE LARVAE TURNS OUT TO BE CAPPED WORKER OR DRONE. THANKS

Worker larvae are capped 9 days after the egg is laid. Drone brood is capped 10 days after the egg is laid. Since you saw larvae, they were more than 3 days from the laying of the egg. So at the outside, the youngest larva you could have seen would be capped 7 days after you saw it, which would be May 19. If the larvae you saw were a few days older than that, they could already be capped now. So the exact date would depend on how large the larvae were when you saw them. If they filled the cells when you saw them, they should be capped by now.

Michael Bush · May 16, 2011, 11:20:59 AM

http://bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm

classeroadbees · June 02, 2011, 04:31:50 AM

Quit yelling take your caps off then well
Talk

Martin · June 02, 2011, 08:58:19 AM

have already been scolded for this had never heard of not using caps. still don't see the big deal but sorry.