New Queen but No Swarm

[05jward]

Im a new beekeeper and my hive is new this year.
I opened the hive a couple of weeks ago and found some queen cups so removed them and thought nothing of it. They have loads of space and seemed to be very happy. Last inspection I found a new unmarked queen much to my surprise.

The colony has loads of capped worker brood and I saw a limited amount of larvae. Should I wait a week then check to see if she is laying drone brood, As it is so late in the season I dont know whether she should be laying anyway?

Any advice or comments would be really helpful!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

are you certain the old queen has gone? could be supersedure, only time will tell, in this cae especially it would be handy to remember what was on each frame so next time you can see what has happened ref: laying etc.

 

[itma]

Im a new beekeeper and my hive is new this year.
I opened the hive a couple of weeks ago and found some queen cups so removed them and thought nothing of it. They have loads of space and seemed to be very happy. Last inspection I found a new unmarked queen much to my surprise.

The colony has loads of capped worker brood and I saw a limited amount of larvae. Should I wait a week then check to see if she is laying drone brood, As it is so late in the season I dont know whether she should be laying anyway?

Any advice or comments would be really helpful!

Knocking down 'wet' (or sealed) Queen Cells on sight isn't a good idea.
Play cups are a normal part of the hive scenery and can be ignored.
Its useful to distinguish between the two.


If your unmarked Q is two weeks or less since emergence from her cell, it is not reasonable to expect her to be laying yet. She still has a good chance of getting mated, but needs to left to get on with it! (Obviously, it is way too early to mark and clip her wing ...)

It is possible that they may be superceding, and in that case it is 'perfectly' possible that you have two Qs in there at the moment, one mated and laying (though getting on a bit), and the other one not yet in business.
The colony has a lot of brood still to lay for this season, including the "winter bees" that must survive through to spring.

Don't inspect while drones are flying! (New Q might be out 'socialising'.) So inspect when it is cool or early (before 11?) or late (after 4?). You want to know whether old marked Q is still around (and therefore whether or not new brood {eggs?} is/are from new Q).


/// There is some good (standard) reading in the (free) "Welsh Queen Cells Booklet" which is linked from here => http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28463

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Im a new beekeeper and my hive is new this year.
I opened the hive a couple of weeks ago and found some queen cups so removed them and thought nothing of it. They have loads of space and seemed to be very happy. Last inspection I found a new unmarked queen much to my surprise.

The colony has loads of capped worker brood and I saw a limited amount of larvae. Should I wait a week then check to see if she is laying drone brood, As it is so late in the season I dont know whether she should be laying anyway?

Any advice or comments would be really helpful!

Perhaps I'm on a soapbox but have you had any training or mentoring by a competent beekeeper?
Whilst beekeeping from a book is possible for a go it alone beekeeper, it's a tortuous road.
Having a pair of expert eyes to watch you and a pair of hands to guide you through your first season or more will make the journey much easier, even enjoyable

 

[Hivemaker.]

Last inspection I found a new unmarked queen much to my surprise.

Maybe it is the same queen... but the mark has worn off if done with a uni-posca marker.

 

[beeno]

Hi jward,
Hive records, dates and understanding of swarming are crucial in beekeeping for working out what has happened. Otherwise it just becomes guess work and you lose control.