Sometimes swarms have virgin queens in them. If it is a virgin, I'd not expect eggs before 10 to 14 days. I've had virgin occupied swarms take at least two weeks to see eggs. If they are gentle and bringing in pollen and drawing wax well then I would be inclined to think the queen is in there somewhere. It is seldom that swarms are queenless, sometimes they are, but most times they are not, and from your description of things, I think chances are very good that you have a queen.
Caught a swarm, now what?
Hello all. Have been a member of the site for a while now and am fairly new to beekeeping. Last Sunday (June 1st) I got a call from a buddy who told me he found a nice swarm about the size of a basketball hanging two feet off the ground on a bush. Long story short, it was an easy catch and I'm sure I got the queen as within ten minutes after placing the majority of the swarm into my 10 frame deep, the remaining bees marched right into the hive. I brought the deep home and set them up with a miller type hive top feeder with 1:1 syrup to give them a boost drawing out the wax foundation. I just checked them today and they have drawn out five full frames and are doing a decent job of getting some pollen stored and have also started filling the cells with the syrup pretty heavily. The bees are very docile and seem quite content as they work away at building their new home. During my inspection today I looked and looked but did not see the queen. I also looked over the drawn foundation pretty close and did not see any evidence of her laying at all, although I would imagine it may be difficult to see eggs against the bright white comb. So my question is this, generally speaking, at what point should I start seeing proof of the queen being in the hive? I just want to make sure this fine swarm isn't queenless right now and if they are I want to get that corrected as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or assistance.
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
Go to the dollar store and get yourself some old age glasses. I was having problems seeing eggs when I was in a hurry. Tried them out today +3.25. Night and day. Could see eggs easy. I would think once the cells are full depth they should have eggs in them. I'm not sure if the queen will lay before they are full depth.
Stephen
Stephen
I have caught 27 swarms this spring. All of them have taken about 2 weeks before the queen starting laying. Now they are going bonkers. The queen dries up before they swarm and it takes her a few days to get going again. Give it some time. If you open the hive and it sounds like a jet plane taking off then it is probably queenless. From you have said it sounds like she is there. Good luck and keep us posted.
Thank you all for the insight and advice, really appreciate it!!! I was hoping I was just worrying too much. I was actually considering getting some reading glasses Buzzlightyear haha! From what I'm gathering, I shouldn't be too concerned until after 2 weeks. Will let you all know how it turns out. Thanks again.
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Recommended Communities
