Where'd the queens go?

[JOF]

As a relatively new beekeeper, I am keen to expand and use all the kit I've already bought .

Moved a couple of frames with uncapped QCs, plus frames of brood and pollen/stores from my main hive into a 2in1 nuc.

Larvae looked plump with reasonable amount of royal jelly, but when I inspected about a week later, both torn down.

I've introduced another 2x frames with eggs to give them another go, but why would a queenless colony tear down their only chance for a new queen? I assume they didn't know I'd be back with more options?

 

[Sutty]

Are you sure you didn't move the queen with them?
Now sounds like a rather small colony to raise a new queen.
Had the donor colony swarmed or is it about to?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are there eggs in the nuc?
We’re there any sealed queen cells befire you moved them
Did you spot the queen when you did the split?
Have you looked in the original colony?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah yes you moved two frames of eggs so I presume there is a queen in the main hive

 

[JOF]

Sorry, misunderstanding. My Q in the original hive is fine. I added a box and a new entrance and those bees in the bottom box obviously thought they were queenless and started a couple of Queen cells. I then used these to start the new 2in1 hives.

 

[Erichalfbee]

So you have six frames in there. One colony or are you trying to raise two separate ones?
Could you have missed a queen cell which has emerged and the virgin did the other two in?

 

[jeff33]

I would be careful not to deplete your main hive too much by adding so many frames of brood in the nuc. They tear down Qcs because there is usually a queen in the hive. As Dani suggests, you could have a virgin in there. I would leave them alone for a good week.

 

[JOF]

I don't think there's a virgin Queen in there because the uncapped QCs wouldn't have had time to be capped and emerge in the gap between me placing them in the nuc as larvae and seeing the empty Queen cells.
But Dani could be right in that I missed another QC that had emerged, but unless I missed QCs on both frames that wouldn't explain why neither QCs got capped?
Dani - I did use the nuc as 2x3 frames, so trying to build two colonies.
The replacement frames with eggs are now in so I will see what's going on when I take a look this Sunday.
If I didn't lash up the first manipulation, then I can't work out why the bees would have taken out their only option for a new queen.
Will let you know what I find at the weekend.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's certainly curious.

 

[Swarm]

Not enough bees.
All a bit confusing but sounds like you used combs with cells in two (?) three frame nucs. Something I might consider with sealed cells but not open. Sounds to me like they realise their predicament.
If you had cells in the main hive, you could put the queen in a similar, small nuc and allow the full colony to raise and cap enough for you to make increase, they won't leave on sealing them as they have no queen. You now go through and split the combs with sealed cells, leaving one with the hive.
I'd give up for now and unite what you have, they are just overwhelmed little nurse bees.

 

[JOF]

Update: I checked my 2in1 nuc on Saturday and there were capped queen cells (see photo) on one side but nothing on the other. Still not sure why the other side didn't build queen cells?

Today I opened up the 2in1 nuc and it looked like two cells had emerged (although I didn't see a queen) and one was just about to hatch, so I assumed the open cells might have been torn down as the sealed queen hadn't been killed.
Cut out the remaining queen cells, split the 2in1 into two separate boxes and placed a QC in each box (plus another box I'd set up earlier in the week).
Went out a couple of hours later and spotted a worker carrying out the bee in the photo from the hive with the opened cells. I wonder if this was the last sealed queen?
I'll leave them alone for a week and then see what I find, hopefully a mated queen and some eggs.