May be queen less

jtcmedic · April 05, 2016, 03:00:28 PM

This was a nuc hive and queen was dead and placed a 2nd queen on same day at install fast forward now lots of feeding and growing
Well did my hive check and didn't see my queen on March 27 but had different stages of brood, and was happy with pattern, added a second brood box and Pyramiding

Went back in April 3 and had 5 queen cells capped(I took out 3 as they were in top deep)away from bottom 2)and didn't see any eggs. And no queen again. I am a new and this is my first hive in central Florida. I didn't have any cells or cups on march. Didn't see her dead in side or on the ground and didn't have a swarm (I think) not sure what I'm doing wrong. Don't think I rolled her, well won't open till again till 11th or should I do it sooner been on a 6 day rotation.
Thanks jeff

GSF · April 05, 2016, 03:25:41 PM

You may have not done anything wrong - except maybe miss a queen cell. Was the 2nd queen accepted? I'm taking for granted that she was. Did you release the queen immediately or did you give them time to accept her in a cage? They could have swarmed and the new queen hasn't started laying yet.

jtcmedic · April 05, 2016, 03:34:49 PM

Quote from: GSF on April 05, 2016, 03:25:41 PM
You may have not done anything wrong - except maybe miss a queen cell. Was the 2nd queen accepted? I'm taking for granted that she was. Did you release the queen immediately or did you give them time to accept her in a cage? They could have swarmed and the new queen hasn't started laying yet.

I did a queen cage they released her8 days and on state inspection with area inspector she was laying and they were building, that was on March 11th. Saw her again on march23 then none since. She was marked

GSF · April 05, 2016, 04:17:04 PM

I'd say they swarmed. Taking that into mind she would have came in, laid a bunch of eggs, slimmed down, then left. All in about 12 days. I don't have the knowledge to accurately comment on if that's possible. Good news is right now you have new bees and queen cells.

Oldbeavo · April 06, 2016, 07:04:37 AM

Or they didn't really like her once she started laying, for what ever reason, build a queen cell and bumped her off.
Have put an Italian queen into grey bees, inspected her after a week or so, have queen and laying OK, great. Come back in a month or so to find hatched queen cell and torn down ones.
Have also requeened hive only to come back in a week or so to find a queen cell, Is it formed from the new queens eggs??? but if you wait a few weeks all may be revealed if the new queen is the same as you put in or is she similar to the old queen. If she is like the old queen then they bumped the new queen off pretty quick.
One tip that I was told was to put the new queen cage inside the outside frame where the drones hang out, not in the middle of the brood.

jtcmedic · April 06, 2016, 09:36:48 AM

Thanks for thoughts. I am learning and they are growing, watched yesterday and they are foraging again so I can't control them I can only suggest

jtcmedic · April 12, 2016, 04:00:42 PM

Well update , when in today no swarm but no queen seen, hatched / torn down queen cell lots of pollen and cells but no eggs seen. Still have a couple brood not hatched yet but know eggs . Here a question I was feeding here in central Florida 1:1 and they have stopped taking. I pulled it off and just put on a super, just frames no cell. Being its a non laying yet should I held off on the super?

GSF · April 19, 2016, 04:12:27 PM

Look in the middle of a frame in the brood nest. Is it filled with nectar or is there nectar around an area in the middle that doesn't have anything in the cells? If you find this the nurse bees are preparing a place for her to start laying. If all the brood nest is backfilled then they may (or may not) have swarmed. I don't know if they do that for laying workers.