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Author Topic: When will queens Start to lay?  (Read 2626 times)

Offline gdog

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When will queens Start to lay?
« on: August 18, 2013, 08:12:12 pm »
I have two hives, one that I requeened the other re queened on their own. When will the queens start to lay its been about a month now and no eggs or brood. Any way to kick start them?

Offline 10framer

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2013, 09:27:57 pm »
are you sure there are queens in the hives?  a month is enough time depending on what you mean when you say they re-queened themselves.  a month from when they built queen cells or a month since a queen emerged?

Offline gdog

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2013, 11:30:33 pm »
Oh thre are queens the nicest looking big fat black queen I have ever seen a big fat orange queen very nice looking just wandering around the frames

Offline gdog

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2013, 11:32:04 pm »
Do the queens continue to lay through the winter?

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2013, 12:17:56 am »
Do the queens continue to lay through the winter?

Yes they will keep several frames within the cluster with Eisenhower dollar sized brood nests throughout the winter to mitigate older summer bees dying off and some loss due to cleansing flights during colder weather who might not return.

Oh thre are queens the nicest looking big fat black queen I have ever seen a big fat orange queen very nice looking just wandering around the frames

What is the genus of the bees?  Some subspecies, like Russian and Carniolan, occasionally take hiatus's from laying eggs as a form of Varroa mite control.  Try placing a drop of lemon grass oil on the center brood frame, that will sometimes work to prompt a queen in hiatus to begin laying.  The best method, when possible, is to drop in a frame of newly laid eggs from another hive.
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Offline capt44

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2013, 02:40:32 am »
The rule of thumb I use is from the time an egg is hatched until you have a laying queen is 29 days.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline 10framer

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2013, 10:02:26 am »
i'm with the captain, about a month from when the queen cells are started is usually enough time.

down here the bees will raise brood all year most years but i think there are periods up north where they may not.

Offline gdog

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2013, 01:49:30 pm »
do you think its too late in the year for a new queen to start laying?

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2013, 02:06:54 pm »
>When will queens Start to lay?
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm

>do you think its too late in the year for a new queen to start laying?

No.

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Offline 10framer

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2013, 08:48:50 pm »
do you think its too late in the year for a new queen to start laying?

Not down here but they never really stop. 

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2013, 11:01:46 pm »
The rule of thumb I use is from the time an egg is hatched until you have a laying queen is 29 days.

Some queens will start laying 3-4 days after hatching, between mating flights, other queens can take up to 45 days before they start to lay eggs.
When it comes to queen bees there is no rule of thumb.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2013, 10:10:19 am »
If you look at a bell curve of when the queen will most likely be laying it's two weeks after she emerges.  At least that's where there are enough eggs you are likely to find them.  But it could be three weeks or one week.  Rarely, as Brian says, it could be three or four days.
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Offline gdog

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2013, 11:04:11 am »
I'm going to Check this afternoon to see what's going on. Maybe if there's nothing there I will add egg/brood frames from another hive.

Offline gdog

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Re: When will queens Start to lay?
« Reply #13 on: August 24, 2013, 11:01:44 pm »
Well I checked the two hives the orange queen is laying have capped brood but not a lot. The black queen most likely is laying I found a few capped brood which were not there before. I think I'm going to place them into nucs knock down their living space maybe that will make them feel more comfortable. I can transfer some honey frames from other hives haven't yet did my last harvest most likely Wednesday or Thursday.  Any suggestions?