Re-Queening a Queenless Hive

[Beemanbunty]

Hello Beeks, beginner beek humbly requesting some advice. If bees swarmed and left a few bees in the hive, and the queen is to be hatched in 2 weeks and then once mated after 21 days, will they build up and therefore will I get any honey by the end of the season? Or is it too late?

 

[madasafish]

Depends
The weather
local forage
How the hive numbers are.

 

[Beemanbunty]

Ok @madasafish, thanks I hope they build up fast once queen starts laying, as the weather is great here so far, and lots of local forage, now the brambles are flowering.

 

[ericbeaumont]

BB, the bees in the box may make honey, depending on how much of MAF's list you tick, but don't count on it.

Your workforce disappeared with the swarm just as the main nectar flow is about to start.

Any eggs laid after mid-Mayish are not much use as foragers on the main flow, because from egg to forager takes 6 weeks.

Sure, bees have plasticity to fall back on - jobs can be altered to reflect changed colony make-up - but really it's the swarm that would have made you honey.

 

[Sutty]

Though the good news is you're a week ahead of what you describe. If the bees swarmed when the queen cells were capped the new queen should emerge (not hatch - that refers to eggs) 1 week later, not two. She still needs to get mated before she will start laying though.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hello Beeks, beginner beek humbly requesting some advice. If bees swarmed and left a few bees in the hive, and the queen is to be hatched in 2 weeks and then once mated after 21 days, will they build up and therefore will I get any honey by the end of the season? Or is it too late?

Probably only enough for themselves.

 

[Beemanbunty]

Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait for honey next year, if swarming is prevented. I messed up as when I split the overcrowded colony into a 5 frame nuc with 2 queen cells, because I could not find the queen in an overcrowded hive, which already had 2 supers plus an empty 1 added, they swarmed and it was due to a blunder I guess. Oh well the 5 frame nuc has a laying queen since past 2 weeks. Should I unite it with the hive which swarmed? New beek blunders.

Probably only enough for themselves.

 

[Beemanbunty]

Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait for honey next year, if swarming is prevented. I messed up as when I split the overcrowded colony into a 5 frame nuc with 2 queen cells, because I could not find the queen in an overcrowded hive, which already had 2 supers plus an empty 1 added, they swarmed and it was due to a blunder I guess. Oh well the 5 frame nuc has a laying queen since past 2 weeks. Should I unite it with the hive which swarmed? New beek blunders.

 

[ericbeaumont]

an overcrowded hive, which already had 2 supers plus an empty 1 added

Super space is good for nectar and bees, but you could stick 9 supers on and it wouldn't increase space to give the Q freedom to lay.

How many brood boxes were they on a month ago?

 

[Beemanbunty]

They were only on single national brood box. And now are packed with bees and are getting heavy.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should I unite it with the hive which swarmed?

Only if you can be sure the swarmed hive is queenless (or make it so)

 

[Sutty]

They were only on single national brood box. And now are packed with bees and are getting heavy.

If that's the brood boxes thats heavy it means there's lots of stores in them, and so less room for the queen to lay, so the brood nest may be crowded.
A 2nd brood box is one possibility. Alternatively you could score some of the capped stores in the brood box, provide space in a super above it and see if the bees move the stores upstairs.

 

[Beemanbunty]

Hi and thanks for your advice, the 2 supers are heavy and crowded with bees the 3rd super is not so heavy as of yet, the brood chamber has stores but less bees, no bias as of yet. I am hoping there is a queen soon, if not then will have to unite queen right nuc to queenless hive. Thanks again