Dead Queen outside hive?

[Dutton]

Ok I caught a swarm about 4 weeks ago, in a brood box and a super (no QX between the two)

Yesterday I went in with frames and foundation prepared to put in. The queen had been laying in the super I could see lavi and brood but no eggs (possibly I just didn't see them doesn't mean they weren't there!)

I did find the queen and shake her in to the brood box and then placed a QX between super and brood box.

Today I find a queen outside the hive on the floor with three or four bees around her, she's obviously dead :-(

It is conceivable that she never made it in to the brood box and got squished during inspection but I really don't think so. I'm adamant she made it safely into the brood box.

Any suggestions as to why she's died / been killed and what I should do now?

My plan A is to wait a few dAys and then inspect hoping to find eggs and there for a new queen.

Would a swarm replace the queen so soon?

If she was squished can a worker lay a replacement queen or will I need to buy a new one?

Thank for advice in advance,
Dutton

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's likely that your interference did for her.....sorry but that's the way it is.

My plan A is to wait a few dAys and then inspect hoping to find eggs and there for a new queen.
NO. The bees will make emergency queen cells and you may get a queen of sorts emerging in just over two weeks.
If she was squished can a worker lay a replacement queen
NO see above.

You need to read some more and commit the lifecycle of the bee to memory at the very least

 

[Davelin]

Hmmm.. As O90O would say, bit of thinking needed here.

Firstly, caught 4 weeks ago, went in to add frames and foundation. Thye should have been there straight away.

Will there be eggs? With no queen not really very likely.

Can workers lay eggs to raise a queen? NO

They can only lay infertile drone eggs, and laying workers is the last thing you want.

Your only hope is that there are some eggs/larvae young enough for them to build an emergency queen cell.

Is this your only colony, if you have another colony you could add a frame of eggs.

You will probably need to buy or beg a Queen from somewhere.

 

[oliver90owner]

First of all, lets get rid of this belief that a worker can lay a queen producing egg. Not possible excepting extreme situations that are recorded.

Queens develop from diploid eggs. Workers can only lay haploid eggs.

Conceivable. Be more careful in future, so you are sure.

What to do now? Wait for a queen from an emergency cell or buy in a queen or obtain one or a queen cell from some source. Always the chance that she has been superceded already, of course

If there are eggs in a few days they may be from a supercedure queen, or possiby laying workers. You will need to decide which.

Would they replace her so soon? Could do.

 

[Dutton]

Thanks for the advice much appreciated!

When I suggested a squished queen was conceivable I really consider it to be very unlikely! I was uber careful but thought I would preempt the suggestion before someone else, I'm hopeful my queen has already been superseded. Only time will tell!

I agree frames should of been there much earlier, I wasn't at all comfortable leaving it so long but the control of that was out if my hands.

I'll let you know how it goes, hopefully next inspection we have eggs or a queen cell.

Thanks again

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The queen had been laying in the super I could see lavi and brood but no eggs (possibly I just didn't see them doesn't mean they weren't there!)

I did find the queen and shake her in to the brood box and then placed a QX between super and brood box.

So, smallish colony (swarm) the queen was on frames (were there any frames?) with brood (I'm assuming eggs, you just didn't see them) you then shook her off (not that uber careful then) into a big empty brood box with loads of foundation, put in a QX to isolate her from the brood and then left them to it. Could it be the majority left the queen and went to take care of the brood leaving her with a handful of attendants on a blank sheet of wax and she chilled.
better to have forgotten about the QX and then left them to sort everything out in their own good time.
As Erichalbee on this one - too much faffing around.