Swarm problem

[Driftwood]

Hi Folks,
I have a strange issue here that you might be able to help with.

I hived two swarms in the past few weeks. I put them into nuke boxes, added a feeder and left them to it. When I checked them a week or so later they had drawn out the comb and appeared to have settled in well.

However I cannot find a queen in either nuke box… Can't say for certain that she's not there (the old eyes aren't the best) but I've looked and can't find a queen in either box. Any ideas?
Harry

 

[Heather]

test frame?

 

[ijcooper]

Maybe casts - virgin queens are harder to find.

Also see Dave Cushman's advice on finding queens.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/queenfinding.html

 

[Heather]

Yep, prob casts as logically a prime would struggle to fit in a Nuc.
Wait 2 weeks then, unless you have spare frames of eggs to keep them occupied in the meantime. Insurance, maybe.

 

[Driftwood]

Yes I think a test frame would be no harm and I'm sure I'll be able to come up with one for both of the nuke boxes. Dave Cushman's article makes good reading thanks for passing it on. Hopefully if they both were casts the new queens will mate and I feel that they would be better queens than emergency queens.

Interesting days ahead.
Harry

 

[oliver90owner]

The obvious question to a beginner might be whether there was any brood. If none, after about three days for a prime, the queen was lost on collection, or similar.

Dependent on suitable mating conditions, it could take up to several weeks before the 'cast' queens start laying. Then, if an extended period, there would be the added vexation if she were a drone layer (not got mated), only clearly apparent when the brood is capped.

Heather is about spot on.

As for finding them - well harder than a laying queen (which you know is there!). Presence easily checked by a test frame and so only really needed to be found once - when/if you decided to remove her.

This may be strange to you but is a common happening. Stop worrying.

 

[Arfermo]

As mentioned elsewhere on this forum, I collected a tiny swarm some weeks ago and couldn't find the queen. But eggs were being laid so she had to be there. Eventually found her to be very black, much darker than I have in my other hives and never seen one that dark before, other than on websites of commecial sellers. Thank goodness she is very prolific and bees are so calm I am going to breed from her and not use gloves on that hive for a nice change. Hope you have similar luck.