Think I've forced my bees to make swarm plans!

[angeJ]

Three weeks ago, using a change in position of the QX, I thought I'd successfully gone from brood and a half to just the BB, with the queen in the BB of course! Clearly I haven't as tonight I've inspected, as I have every week, but I've found about 10 QCs in the previous 'and a half', one of which was capped with an immature queen pupa. I must have trapped her above the QX! And I should have realised from the brood in the previous inspections
......So - I've destroyed all the queen cells (I think) leaving just one on a marked shallow frame, I've put the QX back on a brood and a half, and given another super with just foundation,so they have more space. I couldn't find the queen tonight. I intended my next move was to go in tomorrow and do my best to find her and make an artificial swarm. Is this the right thing to try?
If this colony ever make any honey it'll be inspite of their beekeeper and not because of her! Ugh!

 

[thenovice]

Is your queen still there? first check should be for BIAS in both super and BB.

If not, your queen is gone. if so, do an AS!

 

[angeJ]

I need to check there are eggs/young larvae in the super - if there are she can't have gone as the QX would have been below her. If the queen was gone - would I not best leave the colony intact with just one queen cell?

 

[Erichalfbee]

angeJ is right. If the queen has been above the QX she is not likely to have gone.
Have you seen her before?
I'd go back asap today.
Yesterday was a fine swarming day. The question is......could the scouts have piped up a swarm after you left?

 

[thenovice]

you would be surprised . one supplier sells their starter kit with this bamboo excluder... the one I saw in use, the queen just ignored the highway code

 

[angeJ]

Hi - just been back in, all ready to do an artificial swarm, but I haven't because I can't find her anywhere. She's definitely been there on the super in the last week though from grub size. Trouble is being back on brood and a half makes a harder job of finding her. Also the QC I left yesterday seems to have gone and there are no more obvious. I'm wishfully thinking they've maybe changed plans as they've so much more space now but no doubt there are far more unhappy explanations??

 

[Swarm]

The queen cell seems to have gone or it has gone? You marked this frame so as to be sure so is it still there or has it been torn down?
AS is a procedure you carry out when you still have the queen, if there is no sign of her, ie no eggs, your best bet is to treat as if you have lost her with a prime and take measures to prevent cast swarms. Some advise leaving two viable cells but I reduce them to one.
On the other hand, she may simply have run out of laying space and if the cell you left has indeed been torn down, chances are she is still around, you'll have to look for signs of her laying.
You didn't mention the deep frames.

 

[angeJ]

Yes I marked the frame I left the QC on but it hadn't been pulled down, rather the grub inside looked dead instead of looking big and healthy as I had seen it. If she is still there do you think that she will go down into the brood box to lay? It is positioned under the super I referred to.

 

[Swarm]

No reason not to, you need to check both boxes for sign of her presence. Look for eggs and if you find them all is well for now.