RE: How long before I should see eggs (from new package) being laid?

**JAK** · 04-21-2009, 07:40 AM

Hi Guys,

Got three packages April 4th, and installed them that weekend. Released the queens on Tuesday, April 7th, (bees weren't stinging the queen cage) and all was good. I let them sit (they were being fed 1:1 sugar syrup, refilled every other day or so, quart jars) until this past weekend, April 17th, to check on them. Two of the three packages got 4 drawn frames interspersed with 4 empty foundationless frames. The other package is my friend's and he did foundation (8 frame mediums). When we checked on them, one of the packages was doing great, saw the queen, saw larvae in about 4 of the 8 frames, and they were drawing wax on the empty frames.

The other two packages were storing sugar syrup, nectar (something's available, as a survivor hive from last year was bringing in a decent amount and stopped taking syrup), gathering pollen, drawing wax, but I saw no eggs/larvae. Also, didn't see the marked queens on our quick perusal. I didn't rip it apart to go looking either, as it's been only about 12 days from queen release. I figure I'd give it another week and then see if anything changes. Just wondering how long before I should see eggs. I recall last year that my packages took a good 3.5 weeks until I saw anything, but I'm getting a wee bit panicky b/c one of the packages on pre-drawn frames didn't have any eggs (lots of nectar and pollen) or larvae, while the other one with the same setup was going like gangbusters. The package on foundation had a decent amount of wax they were drawing, but mostly used for nectar storage.

Let me know ideas, thoughts, opinions, or criticisms. Thanks!
JAK

**ClintonTull** · 04-21-2009, 09:16 AM

Same question i had after getting new bees.
If shes mated which she should be on a new package. She should start to lay eggs in new comb in 10-14 days. Have to have the comb first of course.

Hope this helps.
Feed heavily 1:1. I also found that warming the syrup to 80 degrees or so in mornings helps them take syrup better. Over night left outside it gets cool so i always bring it in in the evening and just before going to work i nuke it for 30-40 seconds and just plop it back in the entrance feeder.

Just me though on the warming most dont. I went through about 1/2 a court a day on a nice warm day.

**Ravenseye** · 04-21-2009, 09:16 AM

I'd give it a bit longer. Some queens take a while to get going, although I've had queens that are out in a day and you can see eggs a few days after that. If you do look for eggs, look hard for the queen. No seeing eggs and not seeing a queen is a whole different story than just not seeing eggs.

**Michael Bush** · 04-21-2009, 06:24 PM

Sometimes as short as a few days. Sometimes as long as two weeks. If she isn't laying in two weeks she isn't going to.

**JAK** · 04-22-2009, 07:19 AM

Thanks guys,

This is my second year, and it's everything's still a new learning experience. I'm definitely more adept at opening the hive and handling frames. Now if I could just figure out where it went wrong with the packages. Appreciate the observations and advice. Looks like I'll re-examine the hives this weekend and see what's happening. Hope to see those marked queens laying a solid brood pattern.

Cheers,

JK

**Troy** · 04-22-2009, 11:27 AM

Yup, two weeks is the right number.

Try to just leave them alone for at least a week. I like to peek and make sure the queen was released from her cage after 4-5 days, but be as unobtrusive as possible. A quick peek at the cage, and if she is not there go ahead and remove the cage and close it up.

Wait about another week before looking again. If by 2 weeks (after release) she is not laying, she probably won't, so it is time to do an exhaustive search for the queen and see what happened.

**Joel** · 04-22-2009, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by JAK

Hi Guys,

Got three packages April 4th, and installed them that weekend. Released the queens on Tuesday, April 7th, (bees weren't stinging the queen cage) and all was good. JAK

Just as a suggestion the best test for queen acceptance is to look to see whether bees are biting the screen or trying to feed the new queen (long probiscus out) through the screen. Usually queens shipped in packages are accepted though by the time the journey is done.

**Tom G. Laury** · 04-22-2009, 04:25 PM

You can see eggs in 3-4 days. When they take a long time to start they are never the best of the bunch. Feed, reduce entrance, and disturb as little as possible. There are always some duds, just like if you roll your own.

**kaisfate** · 04-22-2009, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Troy

Yup, two weeks is the right number.

Try to just leave them alone for at least a week. I like to peek and make sure the queen was released from her cage after 4-5 days, but be as unobtrusive as possible. A quick peek at the cage, and if she is not there go ahead and remove the cage and close it up.

Wait about another week before looking again. If by 2 weeks (after release) she is not laying, she probably won't, so it is time to do an exhaustive search for the queen and see what happened.

Would these numbers apply to swarms as well?
Would these numbers also apply to foundationless hives?

**dickm** · 04-22-2009, 05:10 PM

I started 14 packages this year. One week later we found eggs in all 14.

Dickm

**nurseric** · 04-22-2009, 05:24 PM

If you dont see any eggs after the first 10 days you can do one of two things. Get a few queen cells and place in the hive or re-queen. You dont want the Workers to start laying. This could fool you.

**KQ6AR** · 04-22-2009, 07:24 PM

My wife & I installed 2 packages, checked after 5 days too see if the queens had been released. Both hives had eggs on plastic foundation that was only drawn out about 1/16".
The bees came from honey bee genetics AKA Tabers

**sierrabees** · 04-22-2009, 10:49 PM

It sounds like you have enough hives to rob a frame with some eggs and unsealed brood from one and give it to the questionable hive. If you do that, check the frame in 4 to five days. If there are no queen cells being built, give them another week or two. I know they say a slow starter queen is not any good, but over the years some of my strongest queens have been slow to start and have built up faster the all the others. Nothing is cut out of stone when it comes to bees.

**JAK** · 04-27-2009, 04:40 PM

Hi guys,

Thanks for all of the ideas, comments, and advice. Good news! Both hives have eggs / larvae. I still couldn't find the marked queens, but we saw larvae and eggs (no capped yet), and that was good enough for me. Hooray! Looks like the queens needed just a bit longer and then they were all geared up to lay. Thanks for help, always appreciated. Hope everyone is finding as happy an outcome as I am.

Cheers,

JAK

**schmism** · 04-27-2009, 05:25 PM

i installed 2 packages on 4/4

verified release on tues 4/7 (withdrew empty queen cages)

I put my packages on 4 drawn frames each. By 4/15 i had a small section of capped brood and could easily see larva in many other cells over 3 different frames. (i never could see the tinny frigging eggs with all the bees covering the cells)