3ame split

[WOOLY BEE]

HELP PLEASE
I made a 3 frame split about 20 days ago. When I checked them yesterday, they did nmot appear to have a queen or any queen cells. I haven't been able to buy a queen locally. can I remove frame from another hive, and what shoud I look for, what is the minimum size of the larve?

[peggjam]

Yes you can remove a frame of brood from another hive and place in it. Rather than looking for larva, look for eggs, it will be much easier to see, and you know they will be the right age to make a queen out of. Also make sure there is a frame of pollen next to the new frame you put in, also make sure they have some honey or sugarwater to consume while they make their queen.

[Sundance]

Did the frames have any Q cells to begin with?

You ask about larva...... Does that mean you are seeing live larva? If you are you have a queen.

Were there 3 frames of brood and other frames of stores?

Others will answer the time line question but is sounds like queen cells should have been started.

[MountainCamp]

If you made the split 20 days ago, the queen they raised has already emerged. She will not have taken her mating flights yet or she may have just started.
I would not expect to see eggs till day 27 to about 36 at the latest.
It is about 16 days egg to emergance
5 - 10 days till mating flights
5 - 10 days mating flights till laying queen.

[WOOLY BEE]

no larve in the split. I was referring to larve in the frame I add.

[MountainCamp]

If you just added a frame with eggs and larve. Check it in about 5 days. If they are queenless they will construct queen cells. If they don't, then I would expect that they raised a queen from the eggs / larve given to them with the original splits.

[Aspera]

MountainCamp has some very sensible advice there. I would add a frame of eggs/brood every week until you see that the hive has its own eggs (check for queen cells/eggs before adding). Yes, its problably not good to handle them that much, but it will work.

[Michael Bush]

>what is the minimum size of the larve?

Eggs are the best. The right size larvae you can't see. smile.gif They are just hatched and invisible.