Hi all,
I am new to beekeeping this year, and currently have 2 hives....
I started with one, and artificially swarmed this hive as I found QC's approx 4weeks ago. After removing all but one QC which was capped, I have left the hive for nearly 3 weeks, giving the new queen plenty of time to emerge, mate and return and hopefully lay eggs. I inspected the hive on Saturday to find that the QC is still capped? and no eggs....(all capped brood, has now emerged too so no developing brood left)....am I to assume the queen has not survived or should I leave for longer? or she did emerge, flew out and not returned...
I have tried to pre-empt the worst case scenario, and ordered a new Q to introduce as the hive wouldve been queenless now for quite sometime, so a quick solution is required beofre the WB start laying eggs too.
At the same time when I removed all other QC's from the AS hive, I kept one aside to put in a mating nuc, and this too hasnt emerged, it looks like the WB may have torn it down as the cell is smaller than the one I put in. Plus on further inspection of the mini frames, there are multiple eggs in cells, telling me that the WB are laying eggs.
I've recently read that it is possible the WB reseal the QC, why would they do this?
The original Q, is doing well in the new hive, laying etc..
I am new to beekeeping this year, and currently have 2 hives....
I started with one, and artificially swarmed this hive as I found QC's approx 4weeks ago. After removing all but one QC which was capped, I have left the hive for nearly 3 weeks, giving the new queen plenty of time to emerge, mate and return and hopefully lay eggs. I inspected the hive on Saturday to find that the QC is still capped? and no eggs....(all capped brood, has now emerged too so no developing brood left)....am I to assume the queen has not survived or should I leave for longer? or she did emerge, flew out and not returned...
I have tried to pre-empt the worst case scenario, and ordered a new Q to introduce as the hive wouldve been queenless now for quite sometime, so a quick solution is required beofre the WB start laying eggs too.
At the same time when I removed all other QC's from the AS hive, I kept one aside to put in a mating nuc, and this too hasnt emerged, it looks like the WB may have torn it down as the cell is smaller than the one I put in. Plus on further inspection of the mini frames, there are multiple eggs in cells, telling me that the WB are laying eggs.
I've recently read that it is possible the WB reseal the QC, why would they do this?
The original Q, is doing well in the new hive, laying etc..