Queenless split advice

[GJUK]

Hi Everyone,

I completed a queenless split on the 11 April, placing bees, unsealed brood, food stores and capped brood in to a Nuc.
I managed the queen cells made, leaving only one.
On the 30 April I was lucky enough to see the queen starting to hatch - (I had to check because I was away with for for a week the following day)
Having checked today 5 May, I can see no queen, no eggs only lots of stores.

I've added a new frame of unsealed young brood/eggs - to see if queen cells are made. Can anyone offer any other advice please? They have a tonne of food stored but only that.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Erichalfbee]

A test frame is the way to go. Not all queens make it home I'm afraid. Though I might have waited another week myself

 

[GJUK]

A test frame is the way to go. Not all queens make it home I'm afraid. Though I might have waited another week myself

If I find they are creating a load of queen cells in 2-3 days - the process starts again I assume and just wait and see?

I've got a couple of other hives with multiple 'nearly sealed' queen cells - are these okay to move from there in to this hive to speed things up?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Erichalfbee]

One open good cell with a fat larva and lots of royal jelly is fine if those are the queens you want. You're saving yourself only a few days, mind

 

[drex]

One week for queen to come into lay is not long, especially as it has been so cold here on the east coast. I have waited 3 weeks in the past, just giving up hope when I spotted eggs. Two test frames failed to,produce any cells.

 

[GJUK]

Thanks guys

 

[GJUK]

Hi,
So I checked today and on the frame I put in 4 days ago there are no attempt of creating queen cups/cells.

There are a couple of play cups on another old frame but nothing with brood in and they might have been old ones.

Still can't see the queen - so I'm stumped.

 

[Levitt53]

I've only been doing this for a year but have only seen the queen once. It's a skill I've yet to learn. Look for larvae would be my advice but it still might be too early.

 

[drex]

Be patient. No queen cells on test frame says they probably have a queen. See my post above. Insert another test frame if you like.

 

[Swarm]

She is in there.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hi Everyone,

I completed a queenless split on the 11 April, placing bees, unsealed brood, food stores and capped brood in to a Nuc.
I managed the queen cells made, leaving only one.
On the 30 April I was lucky enough to see the queen starting to hatch - (I had to check because I was away with for for a week the following day)
Having checked today 5 May, I can see no queen, no eggs only lots of stores.

I've added a new frame of unsealed young brood/eggs - to see if queen cells are made. Can anyone offer any other advice please? They have a tonne of food stored but only that.

Thanks,

Jon

If the queen emerged on the 30th April she would need time to become sexually mature, then time to make her mating flights, possibly inhibited by weather, return to the hive and settle down to start to lay. I suggest you're not in start to worry territory yet - she's only had 5 days to the 5th. The books suggest 8 to 10 but in practice longer periods are often encountered.

 

[GJUK]

Good news - found her this evening and marked her (after a right mess about with the plastic foam type plunger contraption for getting hold of the queen).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had she started laying? not a good idea to mark her until after she's mated.