[Alram]

So, I have a hive that I want to ask about.
4-5-20 the hive had a virgin queen queen with no eggs or larvae but still had capped brood
4-22-20 still had the queen but no eggs, larvae or capped brood (bad weather probably kept her from going on mating flights)
5-16-20 I did not find the Queen but the hive had eggs, larvae, and about 50% capped worker brood and 50% capped drone brood. If I had found the Queen I would have removed her from the hive believing she was a poorly mated Queen and combined the hive with another hive.
6-7-20 I did not find the Queen but the hive had eggs, larvae, and large amount of capped worker brood in a nice laying pattern and a small amount (appropriate amount) of drone brood.

I can not quite figure out what happened. If it was a poorly mated Queen she would have gotten worse not better with time. I was expecting to see all drone brood when I inspected the hive yesterday. I am wondering if there could have been an overlap of laying workers in the hive with a laying Queen. The hive did not have open brood for some time due to the cold rainy weather and it seems the Queens could not get out to get mated. So maybe laying workers started up even though there was a virgin queen in the hive. And then when she got mated and started laying then the laying workers shut down. I think I have heard that it is not the Queen pheromone that suppresses laying workers but the pheromones from open brood. What do you think?

 

[grozzie2]

My guess based on the timing, first queen was poorly mated, they realized that right away and superceeded as soon as she had viable eggs with which to do so.

 

[Absinthe]

Are you seeing lots of multiple eggs in cells when you see eggs? Are you seeing eggs laid in stupid places like the sides of cells or in pollen stores? There are multiple signs of a laying worker. Are you seeing the increase of worker bees? Or are you seeing drone capped worker cells? Are you seeing any other sign that you have laying workers? Do you have a good flow on, or are you feeding appropriately?

 

[Michael Palmer]

To answer your original question. Yes there can be a virgin in a colony of laying workers. I requeen LW mating nucs with a ripe cell and a frame of brood. Usually winds up with a mated queen...so there must have been a virgin in a LW colony

 

[Absinthe]

To answer your original question. Yes there can be a virgin in a colony of laying workers. I requeen LW mating nucs with a ripe cell and a frame of brood. Usually winds up with a mated queen...so there must have been a virgin in a LW colony

Would he get a good good pattern and capped worker cells with laying workers?

 

[Saltybee]

Would he get a good good pattern and capped worker cells with laying workers?

As the laying workers get suppressed it would become a better pattern.