[PappyMAINEiac]

My first hive swarmed @ 3 weeks ago. I posted for advice and was told not to mess with them for a while. 3 days ago they were working like crazy(100s comming and going per minute). The last 2 days I noticed they slowed down to maybe 10 per minute. so i went inside....oh :no: no eggs, no larva no capped brood. only a few emerging drones and some queen cells open and sealed @7.. Do i wait, or order a new queen ... I live in Maine and my only local scorce for a queen is on vacation until the 10th of August. I do have a buddy that I can get a few frames of brood from if need be. Could someone let me know where I can buy a good Itialian queen, that are good in the northeastern winters??? I hope there is enough time to save them.

 

[Specialkayme]

http://www.thebeeyard.org/queencalendar.pl?month=5&day=22&year=2010

Here is a calandar of how the queen operates. Usually, the bees will likely swarm sometime between day 9 (when the queen cells are capped) and day 16 (when the new queen emerges). Occasionally, they will swarm before day 9, leaving only uncapped queen cells behind, but not usually. Most of the time they like to know the new queen will be there before they swarm.

If we assume the worst, and say they swarmed on day 9, the queen would have started her mating flights on days 21 and 22. It usually takes her a few days/week or two after that to get situated, and grow large enough to start putting out eggs. If your hive swarmed three weeks ago, and that day was 9, today's date should be 30. Day 34 you check for eggs, day 39 you check for larvae.

Give it a week and check for eggs. If you don't see any in a week, you need to be concerned. For now, just wait.

 

[PappyMAINEiac]

I panicked and requeened... good thing too all the Q cells were empty. capped but empty.

 

[Andrew Dewey]

Did you make sure there were no virgin queens in the hive before you requeened? If not, the new queen will probably not be accepted. There are a number of queen providers in Maine. You can find the list on the MSBA (Maine State Beekeepers Assoc) Website.

 

[Fred Bee]

On July 4th weekend...I had some queenless hives in my apiary (caused by a severe robbing problem). I reduced their hive entrances and then took a frame of eggs from some of my best hives and put one in each of the queenless hives. I waited until this week to check them, and am happy to report that all the hives have made a good laying queen. So, I just wanted you to know this is a process to requeen that does work if you don't have "store-bought" queens readily available.

The whole process takes almost a month...if you have the time. Time schedule from start to finish for a new laying queen is as follows: 16 days to make a queen, then a few days for her to get her situated around the hive, then a few days for mating and to return to the hive and begin laying eggs. Of course, if your hive already had a queen cell developed when they swarmed, the time period would be lessened.

I agree with others that you need to be on the lookout as you could have a new queen in your hive that has not yet mated and/or begun laying. If not, your newly installed queen should be accepted ok. Believe me, I understand the anxiety that comes with concerns over "what to do with a particular hive." The bees have taught me many lessons and have humbled me on occasion. I sure hope it all works out for you. Best of luck.