AS - after no find the queen

[JonnyPicklechin]

A 2 x BB, 2 x Super, was inspected today and I found 4 charged QCs hanging off the bottom of frames from the top BB...

I immediately searched for HM but after 2 complete run through of 20 frames I was unable to find her. I placed two eggs/brood frames in a new box on the original site, replaced the supers and moved the original 2 x BBs to a different site. I will check for QCs in both boxes in about 6 days...

Questions:
* There are a lot of bees in the original boxes that are moved to the new site. Should I shake more of those frames into the new box on the old site? I assume it does not matter where the queen is now given I have at least moved the brood from the flyers?
* I did leave one QC which looked not far from completion. I did this because I was certain the marked queen was not on the two frames I left. But as I was having my cuppa and looking at my notes, pondering my actions, I thought maybe somehow there is a new queen, unmarked, which is why I couldn't find her. Possibly superseded? I did not see her on inspection 1 last week...If she is on there, then a charged cell plus flyers and the queen could issue a swarm, right? Should I get in there tomorrow morning and just knock it down? (I know my first question sort of conflicts my second, hey-ho)

Cheers..

 

[enrico]

Whatever you do now is a risk. If you DO have a queen with the flyers I would like to think she will stay as there is only a little brood. If you have no queen in there they will make more cells. If you destroy the queen cells you may not have that new queen and you are delaying a new queen's arrival. Re question one, the flyers will return to the original site anyway. I would have moved the supers too!
Re reading this again I am a bit confused. I think I have understood you right!
E

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Thank you sir.

You have answered the key question about the remaining QC. If they make more on the original site, I will at least know the queen is not there.

Back to the brood on the new site. If the queen is there ( the likely scenario) I will now see the build up of flyers as young bees join a new foraging force. Leave it be for now and just check in 4 or 5 days and see if QCs and try and find the queen?



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[jeff33]

If you still can't find your queen in the 2 BB and she is marked something may have happened to her hence why you had 4 Qcs.
It could also be that she was superceded and you have an unmarked laying queen in there. When you check the 2 BB in a few days just look for eggs. If you see eggs but can't find your queen place a QX between the 2 bb and go back 3-4 days afterwards. You will have eggs (hopefully) only in 1 box where the queen is which will be easier to go through.

 

[Murox]

Looking for eggs is key. I noticed you said you had eggs in original post - so a queen was there 3 days ago.

 

[beeno]

A 2 x BB, 2 x Super, was inspected today and I found 4 charged QCs hanging off the bottom of frames from the top BB...

I will check for QCs in both boxes in about 6 days...

Questions:
* There are a lot of bees in the original boxes that are moved to the new site. Should I shake more of those frames into the new box on the old site? I assume it does not matter where the queen is now given I have at least moved the brood from the flyers?

Hi Jonny,
1. Lots of bees in 2 boxes on new site. Therefore I would say chances are the Q is in this part.
2. What did you do with the other QCs? If you tore them down and the queen is in there they will go in four/five days time.
3. Since you cannot find the Q. Split the double broods. The one with eggs in after three days has the Q in it.
4. The colony will still swarm without foragers, but it will not swarm in the short term without a queen.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Hi Jonny,
1. Lots of bees in 2 boxes on new site. Therefore I would say chances are the Q is in this part.
2. What did you do with the other QCs? If you tore them down and the queen is in there they will go in four/five days time.
3. Since you cannot find the Q. Split the double broods. The one with eggs in after three days has the Q in it.
4. The colony will still swarm without foragers, but it will not swarm in the short term without a queen.

1. Agree shes probably in Trump Tower rather than the newly formed Nelson Mandela House.. I had to move the split foragers box plus supers to the out apiary as they got proper spiteful. I'll check in there tomorrow and have a look at what happen to the eggs / OB frames.
2. They had not gone as of today as they were sealed up and moved. I left them sealed for the best part of the day as Out Apiary is about 1.5 miles away. About a day with a small entrance and some grass in the entrance normally works. I'll don my armour and go in there with the nasties and see what they are up to.
3. Makes sense. Can I just split for 72 hours find her, mark her and then just reassemble?
4. The original is so strong its took only 2 days to get back to a flying force to rival its previous state so key will be to see if they have put up any further cells. If they are ready to go again and I cannot find the queen the splitting of the boxes should derisk the situation, right? It makes sense that without those previous foragers AND split BBs, even though one box might swarm the swarm force would be less ie only one BB worth of new flyers.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Just rereading Jeff's comment...split the BBs by QC....of course!

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