how soon after moving a hive can I tear into it

[Obee1]

I think Pete suspects there might be a virgin in there somewhere.

Hosepipe is a handy thing.

I'm puzzled how that could be though. They had a good prolific queen they kept from a split in April. I killed her and newspaper joined petes queen that day. Looked through a few days later and saw eggs and petes queen was alive and well. one week later eggs seen no sign of QC's and petes queen dying on floor. Not dead so had to be recent.

 

[B+.]

I can still see him getting stung all over, and make me smile when I think of it to this day.

Its a funny story, but, imagine having to explain to his wife and family why their husband/father was in hospital...or worse

 

[Hivemaker.]

I think Pete suspects there might be a virgin in there somewhere.

Hosepipe is a handy thing.

I do, the time scale sounds right for them to of carried on and raised a queen of their own, whether she would still be there after the moving procedure remains to be seen.

 

[Obee1]

I do, the time scale sounds right for them to of carried on and raised a queen of their own, whether she would still be there after the moving procedure remains to be seen.

Lightbulb moment! You're right! The day I killed meangreenqueen and newspaper joined yours was the monday. The little blighters have raised an EQc straightaway. Your queen started egg laying and lo and behold 15 days later I find yours dying. I worried I had damaged her in inspecting but she looked perfect. So their virgin is the daughter of meangreenqueen. I really hope she got lost in manipulations. Several hundred got squished. It was bee carnage. So now I have to try find a Virgin in that mega hive! No chance. I can barely recognise a new queen even with a coloured spot in a travelling cage! If there are no EQ in there then Virgin is probably still there. Hopefully I will find a queencell made last week from your queen and there was no virgin if I killed or lost virgin today they will start cells from now. Hmmm. Well peed now!

Is the lesson here to leave hive queenless a few days before newspaper join and knock down qcells

 

[nantmoel]

Lightbulb moment! You're right! The day I killed meangreenqueen and newspaper joined yours was the monday. The little blighters have raised an EQc straightaway. Your queen started egg laying and lo and behold 15 days later I find yours dying. I worried I had damaged her in inspecting but she looked perfect. So their virgin is the daughter of meangreenqueen. I really hope she got lost in manipulations. Several hundred got squished. It was bee carnage. So now I have to try find a Virgin in that mega hive! No chance. I can barely recognise a new queen even with a coloured spot in a travelling cage! If there are no EQ in there then Virgin is probably still there. Hopefully I will find a queencell made last week from your queen and there was no virgin if I killed or lost virgin today they will start cells from now. Hmmm. Well peed now!

Is the lesson here to leave hive queenless a few days before newspaper join and knock down qcells

Would a mated laying queen look for and destroy queen cells?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Is the lesson here to leave hive queenless a few days before newspaper join and knock down qcells

I always do, to ensure they are hopelessly queenless, there are often two queens in a colony, especially later in the season.

Would a mated laying queen look for and destroy queen cells?

More often, not.

 

[Tremyfro]

Arrrrhg.....I can't bear this! Not Mean Green Queens New Daughter? There was I thinking of a gentle Hivemakers queen emerging and taking Queendom over this huge colony. Now I am going to have nightmares!

 

[B+.]

I really hope she got lost in manipulations. Several hundred got squished. It was bee carnage. So now I have to try find a Virgin in that mega hive! No chance.

To be certain: take each box in turn and shake each frame of bees off infront of the hive. They will march back in. If you have a queen excluder under the brood box any queen (or drone) can't get through. Then come back after they have settled and inspect the queen excluder. Unless you have an extremely small queen or a deformed queen excluder this should work.
This is another good reason to mark queens as soon as they emerge

 

[Moggs]

If you have a queen excluder under the brood box any queen (or drone) can't get through.

This is another good reason to mark queens as soon as they emerge

Virgin queens can get through an excluder. It would only increase the sting count.
Never mark a newly-emerged queen - bees prefer their new queens in pristine condition, in many ways.


I've had that déjà vu before...

 

[alldigging]

This is another good reason to mark queens as soon as they emerge

Do you mean before they are mated?

 

[B+.]

Do you mean before they are mated?

Yes.
I have to have complete control over my breeding stock. I have talked about queens moving between mating boxes http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34075 so, if they aren't marked, you can't be 100% sure it is the queen you thought it was.
I have seen this on several occassions this year with different queens

 

[B+.]

Virgin queens can get through an excluder. It would only increase the sting count.
Never mark a newly-emerged queen - bees prefer their new queens in pristine condition, in many ways.
.

You editted out the qualification to what I said: "Unless you have an extremely small queen or a deformed queen excluder this should work." Very small queens can slip through a queen excluder or "Crown of Thorns" push in marking cage. I agree but this will work most of the time.
I mark newly emerged queens all of the time. If the bees in the nuc are young and queenless, they will accept a marked virgin

 

[Moggs]

You editted out the qualification to what I said: "Unless you have an extremely small queen or a deformed queen excluder this should work." Very small queens can slip through a queen excluder or "Crown of Thorns" push in marking cage. I agree but this will work most of the time.

I mark newly emerged queens all of the time. If the bees in the nuc are young and queenless, they will accept a marked virgin

So in the case of the QE and in the knowledge that the OP is concerned about VQ's in the hive, a QE would appear to be something of a waste of effort.


I've had that déjà vu before...