Just checked on new hive

[Baggyone]

So I picked up my nuc last Tuesday, hived it tuesday afternoon after leaving it a few hours not seeing the queen. Went through on Friday and saw no new eggs and queen cells being made. Told the supplier who are organising a queen for me.
Went in today to see what was what. No eggs (no surprise) two capped queen cells (emergency ones) on one frame, and only a handful of uncapped brood.
Methinks her maj may not have been in the box when I got it. According to everything I have read I would expect her last eggs to get capped wednesday or thursday if she had come home with me.

My only hive and I'm nervous.

 

[JCBrum]

That happened to me Baggy. In fact I suspect the queen was unmated and flew off never to return when I got the nuc home and hived it.

I put it back in the nuc box three days later and took it back to my supplier, telling him I thought it was queenless. He said ok no probs he would sort it out. After about a week he agreed the nuc had become queenless and said he would re-queen or start again foc.

The nuc is still with him atm as, due to my novice status, I have decided to always check for absence of disease and presence of eggs and brood before taking the bees home. That way I know I've got a good start and problems which crop up are probably of my making, so I can then seek help to deal with them.

I have since learned from experienced beeks that these bees are 'slow' bees and the queens do take ages to start laying sometimes.

JC.

 

[Finman]

.
If frames moves (shake) when transporting, it is not unusual that a fat queen will be squeezed between frames.