Queenless and wondering

[Kent J]

I apologize if these questions have been asked before, but as a newbee, I was unable to find anything that answered these questions in past posts.    I have been queenless for the past 10 days.  Don't know how or why, but I have made two checks and I just can't find her masjesty.

So My question is.......how long will it be before the others make their own queen and I start to see queen cells.  Now if I don't see any after your suggested wait  how long do I have before I can get another queen in there and get everything back to normal before it is a total loss.

For now the hive is functioning fine.  There is capped brood both drones and workers.  There is pollen and honey there also.  There is a total of about 5 full frame that they have drawn out and filled.

Thanks in advance.

[Understudy]

If the hive has young larva. They will make a queen cell. It takes 30 days to a laying queen. If they do not have any larva they cannot make a queen cell.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Michael Bush]

>I have been queenless for the past 10 days.

How do you know?

> Don't know how or why, but I have made two checks and I just can't find her masjesty.

Not being able to find the queen, does not prove they are queenless.  Not being able to find any brood or eggs, does not prove them are queenless.  Not being able to find any brood or eggs for a couple of weeks only makes it LIKELY they are queenless.

There are too many reasons to list why you might not find the queen, but one is that a virgin queen is flightly and hides.

The reasons you may not find brood is that the old queen died, was replaced, or swarmed and you now have a virgin queen.  By the time a replacement queen is raised and laying there will be no more brood in the hive at all.

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

The only way to tell for sure if there is no queen is to give them a frame of open brood and eggs and wait a couple of days.  If they start queen cells, then they are queenless.

[Kent J]

>I have been queenless for the past 10 days.

How do you know?

ANS:  Well  now you have me thinking.  In my prior checks I have always been able to find her pretty quick.  Last two times nothing.  The hive is not that much bigger so I figured I could find her right away.

> Don't know how or why, but I have made two checks and I just can't find her masjesty.

Not being able to find the queen, does not prove they are queenless.  Not being able to find any brood or eggs, does not prove them are queenless.  Not being able to find any brood or eggs for a couple of weeks only makes it LIKELY they are queenless.

ANS:  Well  I do have a nice amount of Brood (2 frames approx)  and I can still see some eggs but they are now turning to larve and being be capped.  If I'm right the small grub starting to wrap around is growing egg right?

There are too many reasons to list why you might not find the queen, but one is that a virgin queen is flightly and hides.

The reasons you may not find brood is that the old queen died, was replaced, or swarmed and you now have a virgin queen.  By the time a replacement queen is raised and laying there will be no more brood in the hive at all.

 

The only way to tell for sure if there is no queen is to give them a frame of open brood and eggs and wait a couple of days.  If they start queen cells, then they are queenless.

ANS: Unfortunatly I have no other brood and eggs except what they have so I guess I will wait and see what happens.


So What you are telling me is to hold on to my pant and wait and see.  So I should see a queen cell in the next couple of weeks is this right?  And If not then it is time to requeen?

Thanks for all the help.  I love my new hobby and know that it will take time to learn all the tricks of the trade.   Thanks for your patience.

Kent J

[doak]

After 10 or 12 days if you continue to see young "uncapped" brood down to very very small, and/or eggs. then you should have a queen.
It took me two frames of eggs/brood in all stages and 4 weeks before I could determen it was queenless.
Time and hands on will tell you more than anything else. That is, if you have the basics.
doak

[Michael Bush]

If they have open brood and eggs, then you have a queen.   It may not be the one you used to have.

[Kent J]

 :)Micheal  thank you for your help and suggestions. I checked the hive on 6/15 and did see some new eggs.  They were singles so I hope they are not worker eggs.    Again  I think you all for your patients and help

Kent J

Monroe, MI

[Cindi]

Kent J.  Yes, I think that you have a queen, especially when you said that you saw one egg per cell.  It is known that when workers lay eggs, the eggs are not situated right in the centre, as the queen does.  Their abdomen is too short and cannot reach the bottom of the cell, hence the eggs on the side or misplaced.

It is hard to see the queen sometimes, I have had a couple of hives that when I checked I could not find the queen for love nor money, I saw eggs, (positioned properly in the cell), so I know that the queen was present at least around three days prior.  Have a wonderful day, patience, great life.  Cindi

[doak]

Most times I see eggs before I see the queen. When this happens I don't bother any futher to try to find her unless its for splitting or requeening. The less desturbance for the bees the better. Less chance of accendently killing her. My 2 cents.
doak

[Kathyp]

i have seen one queen this year.  (in the wrong hive :-) ).  no eggs...aparently i need reading glasses.  i don't even bother looking anymore.  i look for small larvea...if my vision gets any worse, i'll have to carry a magnifying glass to see if i have bees in there!

if you have eggs and small larvae after 10 days you have a queen.  if she was marked and that's what you are looking for, she may not be marked anymore.  sometimes it comes off.