Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: rayb on May 23, 2008, 10:05:29 am

Title: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: rayb on May 23, 2008, 10:05:29 am
Hi,

Exactly four weeks ago I made a nuc and a split an gave them both a frame of eggs. Four days later, following info from the forum, I removed all CAPPED queen cells and left the others. Yesterday, I inspected and found no queen (although sometimes I can't) no eggs or larvae.

Should I have seen something by now or is it possible it's too soon?

Thanks, Ray

 

Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: tillie on May 23, 2008, 10:35:21 am
I'm confused - if you made a split and gave both halves of the split a frame of brood and eggs and they then made queen cells which would be how they make themselves a queen, what is the reasoning behind removing the new queen cells?

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

Michael says it takes at least six weeks to get a hive making its own queen up and running, laying, etc.

Linda T in Atlanta
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: Ross on May 23, 2008, 03:25:51 pm
Did you find any queen cells made after you destroyed the first batch?  Have you found a queen cell opened on the bottom?  You'll have to wait at least a few more days, and maybe 3 weeks to be sure you don't have a queen.
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: rayb on May 23, 2008, 05:46:50 pm
Tillie,

Michael Bush's web site describes all kinds of splits. Under a "TYPICAL SPLIT" he had this info below:

"A typical split. Same as above, but you either introduce a queen you bought or you come back in four days and destroy any queen cells that are capped. These were started from larvae that are too old. Now walk away and let them raise their new queen. If you introduce a queen they will be four weeks ahead of the hive that is raising their own, so you will have to put them in a larger box than a nuc to start with. "

When I came back in 4 days , there were about 4 cells on each frame and only one was capped off. I removed that one and made sure there were larvae in the others.

I noticed that Michael's web page no longer has a reference to coming back in 4 days. I'll post a seperate question to him about that.

Thanks, Ray
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: tillie on May 23, 2008, 06:38:24 pm
Thanks, Ray - I try to keep up with MB's info but I missed that!

Linda T always learning in Atlanta
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: Michael Bush on May 24, 2008, 09:56:03 pm
The four day "rule" is a popular method to insure that you don't have a queen from too old of a larvae.  I'm not sure how important it is as the more I watch the more I'm convinced the bees will tear those down anyway.  Were there other open queen cells?

Basically in four weeks you should have a laying queen if something didn't go wrong.  If you don't have one in five, something did go wrong.
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: rayb on May 25, 2008, 10:00:41 pm
Michael,

There were three other uncapped Q cells that appeared to have larvae in them.

I was not patient enough. Two days after I wrote about not seeing eggs or queen...well they magically appeared in both units ( 30 days from introduction of frame with eggs). Even spotted the queen in one of them.

I need patience, experience and READING GLASSES(they really help)

Thanks, Ray
Title: Re: Too soon for eggs?
Post by: doak on May 25, 2008, 10:54:32 pm
When I do a split that is not from a hive that swarmed, I make sure the one that doesn't have the queen gets a frame with eggs on it. Never had a problem.
The split from a swarmed colony get capped queen cell.
The both colonies that I split that had swarmed had several capped cells. I divided  these up between the splits. I have laying queens. 3 with new laying queens and the mother colony of one still has the old queen.
The hive that swarmed on April 16, was split on the 22 and swarmed again 23.
On 5-14 I checked for a queen and couldn't find, queen, eggs or brood.
On 5-22 there was eggs and young brood, I did not look for the queen.
I know how it is to want to see the queen, but if you find eggs and brood and you know it is not working layers, then you are just disturbing the bees more than need be and taking a chance on injuring or killing the queen.
doak