GUTTED, what a day ......

[prana vallabha]

All of you who have been reading my posts will know that i have a hive with a virgin queen in but not laying very well and keep finding queen cups so i went today to try and find this queen again and could not find her . So while i was at the apiary i thought i wolud check my other hive which had my original queen in who was laying well ....I opened up the hive to find she has swarmed and there are four queen cells 2 are sealed .... so what to do now destroy all qeeun cells and cups and introduce a mated queen or leave a cell but the season is getting on now ......what a first year ,,,just when i thought it was going okay ( to some extent) WHAT TO DO AAARRRRRHHHHHHHHH

 

[itma]

1/ Don't panic
2/ Read that welsh Queen Cell document linked on here every day or two.
3/ See 1.
4/ The season isn't over - by the calendar. My first colony was a Sept 1st cast (headed by a virgin), and they came through winter in good style.




5/ See 1.

 

[Poly Hive]

First of all Virgins do not lay eggs normally.

2ndly this colony that has swarmed? Are you sure?

Are there eggs still in there?

Slow down a bit and look.

PH

 

[psafloyd]

1/ Don't panic
2/ Read that welsh Queen Cell document linked on here every day or two.
3/ See 1.
4/ The season isn't over - by the calendar. My first colony was a Sept 1st cast (headed by a virgin), and they came through winter in good style.

5/ See 1.

 

[E1M]

Don't panic Mr Mainwearing.
Make sure, doubly sure, tripply sure that the Queen has gone.
If that is so, and you do have Queen cells, knock down all but 2, one unsealed with egg and one sealed.
Shut the hive for three weeks and prey. Sorry, hope, that when you open up again, they will have sorted it all out for you.
We had similar problem.
Opening hive again next week, fingers crossed all will be ok.
Once again.
DON'T PANIC.
Don't panic.
Don't.

 

[Magners Bee]

Having gone through a 'lost queen' recently we took lots of advice on here and from our local BBKA members. We had no visible eggs (which is how we knew the queen wasn't around), but tiny larvae. We decided 'nature knows best' and left the bees to it.

One week later we had 8 queen cells. We thought about knocking down to two as has been advised here, but as complete novices we also thought we might knock out the 'wrong' ones. So we left well alone which was the other advice we were given.

A week later, a very thin queen had hatched. We found the open queen cell and then the queen.

And today on hive inspection, we have the hive returning to normal. The brood shape is back, the queen is laying and all is well in the world. The bees have demolished the other now-dead queen cells.

If you are at all nervous about knocking down the queen cells, the bees really do know best!

 

[E1M]

Couldn't agree more, after all, they have been doing what comes naturally for a very long time.
Who are we.......................?

 

[burren]

What day are we up to (after expected hatching) with the "virgin" queen hive no 1?
And everyone has already answered re hive no 2. Its only bad day until you have some answers, answered! Onwards.

 

[Tom Bick]

Looking back your hive swarmed at the end of June, your nuc with new laying queen is producing QC's and now it looks like your hive may have or is about to swarm again so I think a bought in queen is a good way to go as they are rather keen on QC production.

That said in your hive today would you say it had about the same amount of bees or did it look a bit light?

 

[prana vallabha]

yes i am sure hive 1 (as i have numbered it ) has swarmed , half as many bees there and deffanetly no queen , as for hive 2 the one with the virgin/mated queen has eggs but only 2or 3 eggs laid here and there which has also got q-cups some with egss and charged ..... i have tried to look for this queen so i could re-queen but i still can not find her ........