2 weeks ago I installed 2 packages, giving the girls a mix of comb & new frames.
1 week ago I checked the queens, and in one package I found the caged queen had been ignored (now dead) BUT I found a "bonus" queen that had been slipped in w the loose bees. She had a red AND yellow marking. I forgot my glasses & couldn't see any eggs, but there was the possible/maybe beginning of a queen cell. I let the queen cell be.
Checked today and I found 1/2 of one side of a frame to have capped brood and some larvae. Fast, I know. No other eggs (had my glasses) or larvae in the colony. The brood included 2 queen cells and a bunch of drone cells. My red & yellow queen was away from the brood frame & not looking too large. The marker paint was also flaking.
Finally my question. Given the situation and that I'm probably dealing with an old queen, what to do?
One option is to move some eggs from another colony that can be promoted to queen cells.
I am in touch w the supplier.
1 week ago I checked the queens, and in one package I found the caged queen had been ignored (now dead) BUT I found a "bonus" queen that had been slipped in w the loose bees. She had a red AND yellow marking. I forgot my glasses & couldn't see any eggs, but there was the possible/maybe beginning of a queen cell. I let the queen cell be.
Checked today and I found 1/2 of one side of a frame to have capped brood and some larvae. Fast, I know. No other eggs (had my glasses) or larvae in the colony. The brood included 2 queen cells and a bunch of drone cells. My red & yellow queen was away from the brood frame & not looking too large. The marker paint was also flaking.
Finally my question. Given the situation and that I'm probably dealing with an old queen, what to do?
One option is to move some eggs from another colony that can be promoted to queen cells.
I am in touch w the supplier.