Why isn't my Queen laying?

[pannu96]

I installed a new queen to a over-wintered package and I see the queen every time time I open the hive. THe box is full of bees but no eggs or larva or capped brood. What is happening?

[TheBuzz]

How long has she been installed?

[pannu96]

a couple weeks now

[Sherillynn]

That should be plenty of time for her to be laying. I would call whoever you got her from and ask if they might replace her.

[pannu96]

I called her, and she doesn't have them. They were from Australia. What should I do?

[Sherillynn]

See if you can get another one locally. If you find one locally pinch the old one, wait at least 24 hours and then put the new one in. Let them release her though or they might not accept her.

[pannu96]

I'll try to do that, but is it because the queens are virgins or for another reason

[jmgi]

Who knows, maybe they got a good deal on virgin queens from Australia. She's defective so replace her soon with an American one this time. John

[Sherillynn]

That's something you'll never know for sure. I would ask her for a refund then also. A queen is no god if she doesn't lay eggs. Everyone has different experiences but personally, I like to buy local queens if I can. The stock is hardy to my area and if something goes wrong, I can get there quickly for a replacement if its available.
Some of the bigger guys do more businees with some of the Australian stock but I am guessing if you are buying a couple hundred queens and one is bad, they aren't as likely to "go under." If you only have a few hives, you need to get things immediately or you are done.

[pannu96]

Alright, Thanks, I'll join these boxes with my good hives for now and then spilt back when I have queens available.

[mrqb]

I'm not so sure i would go in panic mode.what breed is she,what are your tempatures outside,how did u release her.i've seen queens take up to 14 days to start laying good,and unless u direct released u don't know how long she's actually been out,also if she didn't get bred good,are there any drones up your way,she's obviously been excepted and as long as the bees have food they likely survive,surely someone should have queens available before long,besides it might save some work of combining and splitting,also was there any brood from the previous queen.not sure i understand u say an overwintered PACKAGE.

[pannu96]

The temperature was fairly good and I know she was released in 3 days. The previous queen was a carniolan and there was little brood. I put a new Italian queen inside and there is no brood. Also, there are many drones outside. It was a spilt from last spring. Isn't it too late fro her to mate now??

[MrHappy]

Personally I would just take a frame of eggs from your other hive and see if it will prompt her to start laying herself. If not in another week, kill the queen and add another frame of eggs and see if your girls will make their own queen.
And I don't think it's ever to late to mate. Queens get hatched even in sept and as long as there are drones to mate with then all should be good. Heck, she might have just got back from a mating trip.

[pannu96]

New queens are coming may 5, is that too late.

[Michael Bush]

Some of the early banked queens take two weeks to start laying...

[grozzie2]

Who knows, maybe they got a good deal on virgin queens from Australia. She's defective so replace her soon with an American one this time. John

In our part of the world ( op is just a few miles from us) American queens are hard to get. Can't import them easily due to concerns about shb. Local queens won't be available for another month or more. Aussie queens are regularly available at this time of year.

[pannu96]

Yes, it is really hard to find local queens in Spring due to our weather. We usually get our queens from Australia or New Zealand.

[pannu96]

Michael Bush, it has been 2 weeks now, however I checked the hives a few days ago. I will check the hive asap when I get the time and report back if I see any eggs. Can it be because the Queens were Carnie's before and now Italian.

[pannu96]

JUst saw my hives and was very happy. I saw a few areas full of capped brood. I am so excited now. It was the first time I experienced a queen that started laying 2 weeks after installation.

[tnmx]

I am glad it worked out. It is always a great feeling to see that things are as they should be.
If you have capped brood she has been laying for more than a week now.