How quickly will multiple VQ's reduce in number?

[Bluetractorman]

Yesterday at 3pm I inspected a colony (brood and a half layout) that I'd left too long. The first sign of things to come was a VQ piping, which I put into a Q clip.
I then saw another Q cell that, when I touched it with the hive tool, a Q emerged. Later, another Q, also piping, was spotted in the upper (super) by then back onto the brood box.
The original marked Q not seen.
Therefore it's likely the old Q has swarmed. I was going to let them get on with it but needed a Q elsewhere. To my frustration (another lesson learned) the VQ had escaped from the Q clip. I closed up and left.
Question. Could I go in again today and try to catch a VQ, in a crack pipe this time? Provided I could find a second VQ, I could remove the captured one
to introduce elsewhere.
Or will the numbers have already reduced and therefore it's a waste of time/increase in risk of total screw up?

 

[user 819]

You won't know until you look.
They may try and swarm with a VQ with this settled weather probably right about now is a time of day to swarm.
Other wise sieve/shake all the bees in to another BB over a QX to find both queens or three ?

 

[Bluetractorman]

Thanks Hemo. I went in this morning and caught a VQ. Found 2 Q cells that I'd missed yesterday and so didn't feel any risk of leaving them q'less I closed up. The VQ I caught is now in another colony in a queen intro cage bunged with fondant.
I don't have a spare brood box. Could use empty supers perhaps. Or, could I just shake them all out of their current Brood and a half and then put a QE on the top of that?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks Hemo. I went in this morning and caught a VQ. Found 2 Q cells that I'd missed yesterday and so didn't feel any risk of leaving them q'less I closed up.

Good chance the virgins had already 'dealt' with those QCs so they'll be dead by now.

 

[Bluetractorman]

Thanks all. Maybe I'll just let the bees sort it out now. If I have removed the only VQ (unlikely) some uniting needs to happen before too long anyway.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you open up and see a virgin and other cells emerging the thing to do is to open up EVERY cell. Don’t leave a single one. Then close up and let the bees sort it out

 

[Bluetractorman]

Thanks, will go through tomorrow and make sure there are no q cells left unopened.

 

[Ian123]

Quite often they’ll recap an emerged cell. Hard to tell unless you have a poke and you don’t really want to do that!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks, will go through tomorrow and make sure there are no q cells left unopened.

Ah. It might be too late. You have to do it there and then.
https://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/There-Are-Queen-Cells-In-My-Hive-WBKA-WAG.pdf
Page 16

 

[Bluetractorman]

Good chance the virgins had already 'dealt' with those QCs so they'll be dead by now.

... they hadn't dealt with them, but I have now, thanks.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If you open up and see a virgin and other cells emerging the thing to do is to open up EVERY cell. Don’t leave a single one. Then close up and let the bees sort it out

As Dani says; If you leave a queencell, there's a chance that a virgin that's already out will swarm. If you open up all the queencells and release the queens, the colony won't swarm and the sisters will sort themselves out. One will survive. It works. (Ted Hoopers Guide to Bees and Honey)