Somehow my new package queen is no more. I did an OA dribble 9 days after installation on foundation less frames so am blaming it on that, but I really don't know. It is now three weeks after install and while the bees are bringing in pollen and have good activity, there are zero eggs, or open or capped brood. They had started to draw out cells that I assume were emergency cells, but when I tore them down I only found larvae and no pupae so they were not well developed. I then installed a frame from another hive of eggs, and mixed brood to hold them until my new queen arrives.
My question is how long should I leave the new queen in her cage? Can I release her sooner than normal since the bees will be so desperate or are normal precautions called for?
A;sp, I assume I will especially need to check the recently installed frame before installing the new queen to be sure that they have not started building queen cells. Is that correct?
Thanks,
Kevin
My question is how long should I leave the new queen in her cage? Can I release her sooner than normal since the bees will be so desperate or are normal precautions called for?
A;sp, I assume I will especially need to check the recently installed frame before installing the new queen to be sure that they have not started building queen cells. Is that correct?
Thanks,
Kevin