being cheap and knowing that i have diverse genetics in the area, i never buy queens. this year i have two hives that went queenless over the winter (besides the laying worker hive, now gone). one is now ok. the other, i caught about a week later. they immediately built several nice looking queen cells from the frame of larvae i gave them. yesterday was day 17 and they cells are still intact. in case they not good cells, i gave this hive another frame of eggs and larvae.
my question is: can weather and cooler nights cause delay in the opening of those cells or do they just do their thing no matter what? never had this happen before.......