[Frosty]

Hello all! This is my first year beekeeping and I hived a package one week ago. I opened the hive today to inspect it and see if the queen had laid any eggs and she hadn't. It's been one week. Should I be concerned? The hive has started collecting pollen, nectar, and have built comb, but I dont see any eggs. The queen is alive and moving around, so that isnt a problem. What next?

Chris

 

[BILLY BOB]

Hi Chris,

Congratulations, on your new hive. You will learn more here than most places on the net. I know I have.

Do you know what day the queen was freed from her box? The reason for this is if she has been laying eggs for 4 or 5 days you should be able to see larva by now.

Sometimes eggs are very hard to see if you have never looked or seen them before. Looking for them on new cone doesn't help. Check again, this time find the frame the queen is on and look for eggs. If you haven't stirred the hive up to bad you may watch her lay an egg.

If you're SURE there are no eggs, you could have a bad queen. The supplyer should send you another one, if this is the case.

Reply back and let everyone know what you find.

Billy Bob

[This message has been edited by BILLY BOB (edited April 08, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by BILLY BOB (edited April 08, 2002).]

 

[Barry]

Hello Chris -

I wouldn't get overly excited yet about not seeing eggs. Sometimes it can take a couple of weeks, after she has been released from her cage, before the queen will start to lay. As long as you've seen the queen and she looks okay and is moving around, I'd keep the hive closed, let them have their privacy and do another check in a week. She may already be laying but you just aren't seeing the eggs. It's a lot easier to see larva so give them another week at least.

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,
Barry

 

[Frosty]

Thanks for the info guys. I will wait another week before I check inside again. I have seen the queen moving about, but she just seems to be running around. Maybe I freaked her out or something. As far as when she was released goes, I have no idea. Will keep y'all updated.

Chris

 

[Frosty]

Ok, I am not too sure what I am looking for as far as eggs go. I saw the queen stick her abdomen into a cell, but I dont think that I saw an egg after she left. I have had my bees since the 2nd of this month. What am I looking for?

Chris

 

[Barry]

Hi Chris -

You're looking for eggs that look like very small grains of rice at the bottom of the cell. They will be white. Best to hold the frame out in front of you at a slight angle so the sun can shine into the cell. If you still don't find any, perhaps a call to the supplier you got the bees from would be good and tell them the situation. They may just go ahead and ship you out a queen.

Keep us posted.

-Barry

 

[Frosty]

I've spotted eggs!!! Those things are very very tiny! But anyway, I've spotted the eggs and know what to look for from now on and I have also seen larvae... Thanks for your help everyone!!