[merdoc]

I had to put a new queen in package today.This package is two weeks old no eggs lots of drawn comb with sugar syrup and pollen.Am I too late can they make it?Thanks for any advice.

 

[Beeslave]

As long as you didn't have laying workers, they accept the queen, and she is already well mated ready to lay worker brood you should be fine.

 

[fatscher]

As long as you didn't have laying workers, they accept the queen, and she is already well mated ready to lay worker brood you should be fine.

As long as you can find a queen

Anybody out there having trouble getting their hands on a queen immediately? Merdoc, would you consider this package a failure? My thinking is, if you spend one penny more on a package than you have to (and no I'm not talking about the cost of care, feeding and maintenance), then a package is a failure.

 

[Beeslave]

If the queen dies it is queen failure. If the package bees die or abscond then it is a package failure. At $15-$20 per lb of bees in a package it is worth getting another queen.

<<<<As long as you can find a queen

Reread the OP-He has a queen

 

[merdoc]

I got a queen from rossman in moultrie ga 45 min drive.I called ahead for a plain queen got a cliped and marked one for 20.00.This is a small looking queen to me and I was glad to get her.This is my first time with packages got 2 lost one to ants at another location so brought this one home to watch closer.These bees bringing in pollen working hard so I thought they had a queen, but not agressive at all no smoke needed.When I looked in no eggs at all thanks for replys.

 

[WoolheaterFarms]

If you have another hive with capped brood, I'd recommend taking at least one frame and shake/brush the bees off and put it in the hive once the queen has been accepted. That would help cover the period where the older bees start dying off and has the least risk of getting the new queen killed.

Good Luck!