3 hives 1 queen

[chad]

OK.on April 21 got my first hive.(removed from under a trailer)On May 6th did a cut out from a tree and got my second hive.Now I never saw a queen with either of these.On may 16 caught a swarm in a tree,found a Queen with them.That would bee hive number three.Hives 1 and 2 have no brood or eggs,even though I tied lots of their comb(with brood and honey) into the frames.Hive 3 has made their own brood,about 2 frames of it.I dont think 1 or 2 have laying workers.I ordered 2 queens today.I should get them Wensday.Any advice on how to introduce them?Should I shake the hives out to be sure there are no laying workers?these are the first bees Ive had since I was a kid on a hippie commune.

[iddee]

Install them as you would a queen with a package. Release on the third or fourth day. If you have no eggs, you don't have a laying worker.

[chad]

Thanks Iddee,I'm new to this and don't want to go about it the wrong way.I appreciate your input.

[BjornBee]

April 21 ???

And no eggs....even from a laying workers???

I would not be releasing any queen after 3 or 4 days without doing a finger test as a minimum.

Finger test.....After 3-4 days, pick up the queen cage. Cage you lightly shake or move the bees off the cage with your finger? Or do they have death grip and will not budge?

6 weeks....or 42 days is a long time with no queen, and yet no laying worker. You may be missing something..... An unmated queen, a queen unable to lay, or something else. I have seen hives linger for months while being loyal to a queen that never layed an egg.

And that old "shaking out laying workers" is the biggest piece of urban myth baloney you will ever hear. I shook many laying worker colonies.....and it does not work. If you have laying workers, then combine with a queenright colony.

Keep us posted how this works out.