Author Topic: Queen Me (Read 2097 times)

drgenegarris · « **on:** May 19, 2006, 01:54:10 pm »

I installed two packages of bees last week. Starting them out on virgin frames and feeding them with a hive top feeder has them drawing out cells and storing pollen and syrup like gangbusters but I only can identify one queen and only(the same) one hive seems to have eggs.

What happened to my queen? Do I need to requeen or will the hive raise its own new queen?

Apis629 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 19, 2006, 03:11:52 pm »

It took my queen two weeks before she started laying eggs. Just check on the hive next week and if they still don't have eggs, then order another queen. If you can't get another, it may be best to do a newspaper combination of the two hives.

Finsky · « **Reply #2 on:** May 19, 2006, 03:17:32 pm »

You may change frames so that give brood frame from another hive and give empty frame to egg laying hive. If bees start to make queen cells, it has not queen.
So it is better to put packages together and you get really good hive. Do not raise own queen because it takes too much time.

Later when your big hive becomes large, you may get a new queen and make a nuc. When you join 2 packages, soon you have 4 boxes bees.

drgenegarris · « **Reply #3 on:** May 24, 2006, 10:57:13 am »

Yesterday I did a late 6:00PM hive inspection and saw what appears to be 3 queen cells. The two that have been opened 1st appeared to be drone cells, I thought, but the third is definately 'peanuty' and as yet unopened. What should I do?

Can a worker lay an egg that can become a queen?

Much help needed with this one!

Thanks

Michael Bush · « **Reply #4 on:** May 24, 2006, 10:39:02 pm »

>Yesterday I did a late 6:00PM hive inspection and saw what appears to be 3 queen cells. The two that have been opened 1st appeared to be drone cells, I thought, but the third is definately 'peanuty' and as yet unopened. What should I do?

I wouldn't count on a queen unless you gave them some eggs. They will build a queen cell with drone eggs if there is nothing else around.

>Can a worker lay an egg that can become a queen?

Very unlikely but not unheard of. I would not pick that for an explanation.

http://www.beesource.com/pov/lusby/bsmay1991.htm

I'd still give them a frame of eggs and see what develops. You may have laying workers now, though. Look for multiple eggs. You may also have a queen who just didn't start to lay until now. Is there any other brood or eggs?