Post-swarm questions

[wanderyr]

(I originally posted this in another forum, but I'm moving it here since it is a more appropriate place)

Hello, newbie questions here...

One of my two hives swarmed three weeks ago. I checked right afterwards; there were a handful of beautiful capped queen cells. I just now looked through some of the hive (not all of it; they got became irate so I left) and saw no eggs or open brood whatsoever.

Is three weeks long enough that the new queen should have emerged, mated, and started laying?

Assuming so, I'll give them a few days to calm down and do a full inspection. For the rest of my questions, let's assume that the new queen didn't make it...

I'm thinking of taking the queen from my other hive, putting her in a queen cage, introducing her into the queenless hive, and letting her old hive make a replacement. I have considered just bringing over a frame with eggs, but won't it take too long before there is a new, laying queen?

Finally, if this is a good idea, how many attendant bees should I put in the JZBZ cage I'll be using? Since she's immediately going into a new hive, do I need any?

Thanks everyone,
wanderyr

[crabbydad]

when my hive swarmed this spring, it took around 3 weeks fro the queen to start laying. i wouldn't move the queen from your other hive. i would give them a frame with eggs . if they are queenless they should make a queen cell. you may have a virgin or just mated and not laying yet queen. if you move your queen from your other hive over, they may kill her.