Queenless in September

[Liam Rice]

Hello everyone

Our queen went missing about 3weeks ago from our strongest hive. We decided to combine the colony with a smaller colony with a laying queen.

We combined them 2weeks ago, removed queen excluder and cleaned away left over newspaper a week later. Couldn't spot her but she had eggs in her brood chamber. We did find a couple of hatched queen cells though.

So we opened up the hive again today.... can't find a queen and no new eggs. Bees are very calm and bringing a lot of pollen in.
Thinking now, we've lost our combined queen and instead have a virgin queen.

Thoughts and advice please

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Leave them alone to get on with things. If original queen she could be on a brood beak, if virgin queen, she needs to be left alone to mate, (still drones around here), return and start laying.
Your location isn’t available so you need to decide if there’s still drones and a mating chance in your area.
IF you think “no chance” then you could combine with another.
My guess is brood break.....

 

[Liam Rice]

Ok thank you.
I did put a fresh frame of eggs and brood in from another hive yesterday just to see if they make queens out of any of them.

I guess we should probably have originally removed queen cells before combining the the two colonies?