Need some space for a new Queen

[Dekzion]

My best hive made itself queenless. They swarmed when I turned my back for 7 days, when I checked them after, they had a sealed Qc and a few swarm cups which I removed, I made sure that the QC was put back safely and shut them up to get on with it.
I caught the original swarm and hived it, I looked in there yesterday and she is doing well, (three weeks)
The best hive now has nothing but honey in all frames of the brood box, they've a super on which hasn't even been started on, there were two swarm cups which were empty, there was no sign of a Queen and they have drones but no drone cells (no laying worker) .
I've ordered a new Queen as I don't want to steal a frame from the swarm hive and my other hive is too far away for me to take from there.
So the question I would like some help with is,, as I only have one spare drawn brood frame, Do you think that will be enough for an introduced Queen to get started on and will the colony make room for her by moving some of the honey blocking the comb. The Queen arrives in two days (Thursday)

Derek

 

[Swarm]

Three weeks since the swarm? Are you sure they are queenless?

 

[ericbeaumont]

I don't want to steal a frame from the swarm hive

Why not? Might be a virgin in there about to mate in these big blue skies, and if you put in a bought queen, that'll likely be £40 down the pan.

 

[Dekzion]

@Steve, This is the most placid bees ever, They're horizontal! I checked the super and there's no sign of eggs in there, and a very slow and studious inspection , nothing, just all frames chocka with honey.
@ Eric, I'd like to get them back on their feet asap as the lime is starting, There are still drones in there, the swarm has booted theirs, likewise a cast I nuked that's doing well on four frames.

 

[user 819]

Colonies only make (themselves) QLbecause the beek inteferes and does the job for them.
If thye had a a decent QC then most likely she emerged, nbot much chance of a good mating over the last few weeks but a good chance now with humid warmer spell. Three weeks is nothing I have had one go nearly 5 weeks before eggs were seen.
Remove clogged stores and give four or five foundation centrally , they will soon draw them to encourage laying .

To bee 100% put in a frame of eggs and leave them to emerge , no QC then a VQ or mated Q will be in residence.

 

[Dekzion]

Colonies only make (themselves) QLbecause the beek inteferes and does the job for them.
If thye had a a decent QC then most likely she emerged, nbot much chance of a good mating over the last few weeks but a good chance now with humid warmer spell. Three weeks is nothing I have had one go nearly 5 weeks before eggs were seen.
Remove clogged stores and give four or five foundation centrally , they will soon draw them to encourage laying .

To bee 100% put in a frame of eggs and leave them to emerge , no QC then a VQ or mated Q will be in residence.

Thanks for the reply Hemo, probably sound advice.

 

[user 819]

Because of the rubbish wet /cool weather of the last week or so three of my colonies with clipped Q's have resisted swarming but all have had sealed QC's , first chance was yesterday and on cue one of them has swarmed .
Collected the swarm off the village apairy garden lawn approx. ten feet form the long hive they exited from.
Same colony the capped cell is now open (date/timing tally) so hopefully have a VQ in residence, there is a 10 day sealed cell as well so may be for insurance if they haven't sent a cast out with the VQ. WIll check Friday to see if it is still present or if they tear it down.

Another local colony has a sealed QC I have kept an eye on from larval stage and resident marked clipped Q still present ,checked today visually no signs of a swarm nearby on the ground so will have to wait and see.

 

[user 819]

Thanks for the reply Hemo, probably sound advice.

Yes one needs to be 100% because as EricB has said in all likelyhood a bought in Q will be dead in minutes if introdced to a QR colony.
A test frame is needed.

 

[user 819]

Excess stores are like gold dust remove good sealed stores and store for reuse another time.
This pm I gave two frames of ivy stores to my swarmed colony collected up , the sealed frames are two years old and a feeding comodity which is worth it's weight.

 

[ericbeaumont]

get them back on their feet asap as the lime is starting,

Fair enough, but the foraging force they have today is the one that will bring in nectar and current open brood will be of no use for that job, but only divert house bees from doing the job you and the foragers want: to process nectar.

Plenty of time for this colony to re-build, but more urgent to give a a test frame of eggs & larvae to the other lot.

 

[jarmo henttu]

My best hive made itself queenless. They swarmed when I turned my back for 7 days, when I checked them after, they had a sealed Qc and a few swarm cups which I removed, I made sure that the QC was put back safely and shut them up to get on with it.
I caught the original swarm and hived it, I looked in there yesterday and she is doing well, (three weeks)
The best hive now has nothing but honey in all frames of the brood box, they've a super on which hasn't even been started on, there were two swarm cups which were empty, there was no sign of a Queen and they have drones but no drone cells (no laying worker) .
I've ordered a new Queen as I don't want to steal a frame from the swarm hive and my other hive is too far away for me to take from there.
So the question I would like some help with is,, as I only have one spare drawn brood frame, Do you think that will be enough for an introduced Queen to get started on and will the colony make room for her by moving some of the honey blocking the comb. The Queen arrives in two days (Thursday)

Derek

You must get more frames and foundations. Bees do combs when they need them.

 

[ericbeaumont]

one spare drawn brood frame, Do you think that will be enough for an introduced Queen to get started on

Yes, but bearing in mind the likelihood that a virgin is in that box, suggest you make up a weak nuc with a small frame of brood, stores and combs as below.

moving some of the honey blocking the comb

Extract about 8 of them, having checked with a refractometer that moisture % is 18 or lower. Return combs to the hive late in the day to avoid excitement; use a couple in a nuc as above.

Even if it's still nectar, it can be fed back to bees to finish at a later date.

 

[Dekzion]

Update today, Got my best reading glasses on and went in!
The super was receiving honey from below, not capped but grown in volume since 2 days ago
No sign of any eggs in the super.
In the brood, removed outside frames, nothing remarkable, part drawn outside and honey stuffed inside uncapped.
VERY close inspection of the comb.
On frame 4 my mind was blown. there was a 50p size batch of eggs! they were bang on central and horizontal to the cell, These had just been laid!
but the dark clouds were soon looming when I found swarm cups (3) on the next frame though! I knocked them back and they were empty.
checked the rest of the frames, nothing to be seen, pollen everywhere, lots of nectar.
final close up? put foundation at 6 &7, kept the outside for later.

 

[user 819]

No such thing as swarm cups bees just like to make cups.
Leave them alone now for a couple of weeks and allow them to settle down, stores will be moved up to make space for her. If only one super on then double up as they will soon fill.

 

[Dekzion]

Update! so the last post had a 50p size clutch of eggs. That was just 8 days ago!!
Today there are 6 complete sides of sealed brood in the BB and 5 big arches of sealed brood in the super!!
There's larvae everywhere. so much so that I just walked away smiling when I saw a Beautiful big Queen.
I'll never have a problem seeing her as she has broad orange stripes!!

 

[ericbeaumont]

I've ordered a new Queen

The Queen arrives in two days (Thursday)

How is she doing? Did you nuc her?

 

[Dekzion]

How is she doing? Did you nuc her?

I managed to cancel thankfully. 4 hives at the moment is plenty as it's been a hectic time for me this year, lets see what next year brings.

 

[enrico]

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/two-years-in-and-i-think-i-am-queenless.48296/