Placement of Capped Queen Cells

[DonkeyDonz]

I inserted two separate QCs into two separate queenless hives last weekend. How long should I leave until I next inspect? Worried about them failing the queens & becoming laying workers by next week as both hives queenless two weeks before insertion!

 

[Boston Bees]

I inserted two separate QCs into two separate queenless hives last weekend. How long should I leave until I next inspect? Worried about them failing the queens & becoming laying workers by next week as both hives queenless two weeks before insertion!

2 weeks from when you think the queens should have emerged. Even then I wouldn't be surprised not to see eggs - 28 days for that. But after 14 days at least the queens should have done their mating flights and be a bit more settled, so won't fly off into a hedge as soon as you lift the frame out.

The bees are in the last-chance-saloon anyway. If the cells don't work, there's not much else you can do about it. Opening them up early is as likely to cause disaster as it is to allow you to fix anything.