[redmcc]

This is my third year raising a few queens. I started with nicot system but have grafted a few into nicot cups also. Never more than 6 cells completed out of 20. I ended up with 6 good cells out of first batch which I put in cell builder.
The second batch was from nicot system I place 38 cups in cell builder. When 12 cells were started to be drawn and fed I moved them into a queen right finisher (1st attempt at using a finisher).
They should have emerged yesterday and today. Well nothing happened so began dissecting dud cells what I found was dead white larvae.
So I am seeking possible answers.

 

[Oldtimer]

There is a disease called black queen cell virus. Could be your cell finishers have a heavy infestation of it. Recently dead queen larvae affected with the disease can be largely white.

But the poor acceptance of your new cells could indicate any of the following. - not enough bees, bees not fed and conditioned well enough, wrong time of the season, not left queenless long enough prior to being given the cells.

And a common one, incorrectly set up cell finisher. IE, trying to finish cells between 2 honey frames, stuff like that.

There are other things can go wrong, but those are the most likely contenders.

 

[redmcc]

Yes the larvae were white. I put the larvae in two different queen right hive finishers. Queens that were left in the starter until capped emerged.

 

[Oldtimer]

Were the dead queen larvae pupated or not pupated?

 

[redmcc]

The larvae were pupated.

 

[Oldtimer]

OK well it's not black queen cell virus.

Maybe they chilled?

 

[redmcc]

I can't imagine they chilled it has been pretty warm and there were a lot of bees in the finisher. I moved open 3 frames brood up above a queen excluder to get nurse bees up into the finisher. Wish I had taken a few pictures.
It did solve one problem I was anticipating I was thinking where am I going to get enough brood to start this many mating nucs. LOL Now I am thinking do I start over and try again or wait until next year. Maybe I would learn something if I tried again but my starter is getting quite aged by now a little over month since I shook the nurse bees into it. I will look and see if there is still any brood emerging from the capped cells in it.

 

[Michael Bush]

It's getting pretty late in the season. Maybe they abandoned them and didn't keep them warm enough. My bees have lost interest in queen rearing in the last few weeks.