Puzzling situation: mated(?) queen not laying

[astabada]

HI everyone,
last friday we introduced a new queen (bought from a UK supplier) in a queenless hive, after destrying all the existing queen cells. She was an italian marked (tiny red spots) queen.
Today we inspected the hive and found:
- no eggs
- a yellow, unmarked queen.

The queen was clearly mated due to the big abdomen size. The tip of her wings were frayed.
The bees in the hive are docile and don't act as they're queenless.

Questions:
1) Is it possible that the marks on a queen disappeared?
2) Is it possible that a mated queen doesn't lay after a week?
3) Could workers damage the wings through the introduction cage?

Thanks!

 

[Finman]

.
There has been hidden queen cells what you did not noticed. They have a new virgin queen (from docile hive!)

 

[astabada]

We have been very thorough in destroying all the queen cells. In addition the queen is very yellow (much like the one we bought) whereas all our bees are dark.

Here's a picture of the new queen and a picture of our bees.

 

[Finman]

.
There are much yellow band bees in the picture, perhaps 30%.

 

[astabada]

But if she is a virgin why her wings are frayed?

 

[Swarm]

Agreed. The bees look quite light.

 

[Finman]

.
What about queen's leg? Is it twisted or violated in the picture.


Stange. A fat queen. Impossible to say...

 

[astabada]

But what are the odds?
We do have bees that are a mix of yellow-ish (20%) and dark (80%) but all the queens we had so far had at least one or two dark stripes. Now that we have tried to introduce a new queen (that looks A LOT like the one we bought), we end up instead with a plait yellow queen! (wich for some reason has already frayed wings).

I'm not an expert, so forgive my questions, but I'm really lost!

 

[astabada]

.
What about queen's leg? Is it twisted or violated in the picture.


Stange. A fat queen. Impossible to say...

I think the legs are ok, she was just trying to get out of the cage.
So you noticed too that she looks quite big to be a virgin?

Here's another picture, it's a bit blurry but you can see that the leg is fine (she was walking around the frames when I put her back) and that she's quite big.

 

[Mellifera397]

Sorry to ask a stupid question but,

On the second photo in the first lot I can see a 2011 queen, when was the photo taken?

M

 

[VEG]

Why do you say it is a 2011 queen?
Perhaps it's the only pen they have. I mark all mine pink.

 

[astabada]

Yes sorry, that is the first queen we have ever had, she is stll laying like there's no tomorrow!
(and that is the queen that swarmed from the hive in which we have introduced the new yellow queen)

 

[Mellifera397]

Aah I understand.

And its a fair point that they might not have any other colour.

M

 

[busybee53]

The first queen I ever had was marked and clipped for me by an expert. After a while the marking (from a pen) came off. She still had a clipped wing though so it was definitely her. I was really annoyed at the time because it was harder to find the queen. I don't use the marker pens now - just in case.

 

[astabada]

We really don't know what to think!
If it's her, she's not laying which is a big problem. If it's not her, well first of all we have lost a bred queen but most important, what if she has not mated? She won't be able to fly and mate with those wings..

I still think she's the queen we have bought that the bees probably cleaned.

 

[Newtobees]

Give her some time , i brought an italian buckfast cross from a English supplier in June and it took nearly 3 weeks for her to start laying but has been laying like a train since.

 

[Suzi Q]

Yes, I have had the mark wear off a bought queen after a few days, and the queen took over a week to start laying, have patience!

 

[beeno]

Hi astabada,
The answers to all your questions in the OP is IMHO YES. The queen is often manhandled by the workers on introduction causing all kinds of injuries.

 

[astabada]

Thanks everyone for your advices, I think that the only thing to do now is to wait and see! Fingers crossed!