[username00101]

Anyone else dealt with the frustration of captured swarms that won't lay eggs?

This one in particular has been queenless for a good 3 weeks at this point, I put in a frame of eggs, multiple queen cells - the bees tore those queen cells down. Some obviously hatched. Been almost 2 weeks now since those queen cells emerged, nothing. No eggs.

What do I do with these bees if they don't make a laying queen - do I just pick up the entire colony and newspaper combine with a queenright colony?

 

[JWPalmer]

Give it at least another week. "Almost" two weeks from emergence is pushing it a bit to expect to see eggs. And queenless for a good three weeks is telling me you are a little loose with the timeline, as a frame of eggs will not have produced an emerged queen that fast, and certainly not a laying one. If you are worried, give them another frame of brood to tide them over. Chances are real good they will not make queen cells this time.

 

[Bdfarmer555]

Caught a swarm in a trap this year. Drew out 5 frames really well. 6 weeks now and still no brood, no lw yet either. All I can guess is there is a virgin in there that couldn't mate due to all the rain we had. Just haven't taken the time to do anything with them yet. Other priorities...

 

[burns375]

Keep in mind afterswarms or secondary swarms are comprised of virgins. They will take about 1-2 weeks to show eggs. If you had cells emerge then 2 weeks is about normal. You should be seeing eggs any day now.

 

[Nelsonhoneyfarms]

Anyone else dealt with the frustration of captured swarms that won't lay eggs?

This one in particular has been queenless for a good 3 weeks at this point, I put in a frame of eggs, multiple queen cells - the bees tore those queen cells down. Some obviously hatched. Been almost 2 weeks now since those queen cells emerged, nothing. No eggs.

What do I do with these bees if they don't make a laying queen - do I just pick up the entire colony and newspaper combine with a queenright colony?

You didn’t happen to have used a queen excluder to keep the queen in the hive did you? I’ve done this and prevented a virgin queen from mating. After 2 weeks and no eggs, I removed the excluder and had eggs in several days.