Have they swarmed?

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Popparand

Field Bee
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
511
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21
Location
Suffolk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
10
Colony full of bees and rammed with stores. 10 days ago there was plenty of capped brood and some uncapped. Monday last there was a swarm in the garden (which I rehomed) and also this Monday, but they absconded.

Inspecting today - no brood but some empty play cups and plenty of bees and drones.

I keep the inspection tray in all the time. Normally it is covered with a dusting of brood cappings. More recently I have noticed two or three little piles of cappings, maybe an inch across. Would these be the cappings from queen cells?

I'm starting to think I must have missed the queen cells. Fingers crossed there is a virgin or newly mated queen somewhere......
 
Did you not check when you had the swarm in the garden?
 
On the assumption that the first swarm was the prime swarm with the mated queen, the second swarm would be the first cast. Others might follow if you have sealed queencells in the hive. (Do you need to check again?).
It is very unlikely that the colony will swarm and leave no queen to take over.
With no brood at all then there has been no laying queen for 21 days. Is this correct?
 
On the assumption that the first swarm was the prime swarm with the mated queen, the second swarm would be the first cast. Others might follow if you have sealed queencells in the hive. (Do you need to check again?).
It is very unlikely that the colony will swarm and leave no queen to take over.
With no brood at all then there has been no laying queen for 21 days. Is this correct?

Yep, about 20 days, that would have to be about right. Unfortunately it's been too cold and windy round here over the last two weeks to risk opening up the hive. Except Monday last week which was the first warm day for a while.

I couldn't see any queen cells today, but then again, it seems they are past masters at tucking them away out of sight.
 
I couldn't see any queen cells today, but then again, it seems they are past masters at tucking them away out of sight.

oh yes! I have had a couple of colonies that were masters at hiding cells, one was tucked away in a gap by the side bar and I missed it, I double check these days and if needs be shake the bees off to be sure.
 

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