[GOHoney]

I checked my trap tree today. One week ago I took off an overflowing nuc box of bees from this colony. The trap box was full again today so I took off another full nuc of bees. Last week I put in a frame of uncapped brood to try and get the queen out and dropped the trap cone. On the frame I put in there are two capped queen cells. How long till I know if I have a viable queen? I combined them with the bees from last week. I also took out the trap cone today. The owner agreed to not eliminate the colony. I will use them for starter hives. (I think he was going to miss them!)

 

[Tenbears]

to be sure you have a laying queen can take as long as 30 days from the start of the cup. as few as 15

 

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Generally speaking 20 to 25 days. That time frame represents the time taken to build the queen cell, the incubation of the cell, virgin queen's maiden flight, a couple of days to start laying, then, can the beekeeper recognize eggs or do you have to wait and see capped brood.

cchoganjr

 

[GOHoney]

Should I cut out the cells and get them a queen or wait it out. I put at least ten to twelve pounds of bees in this hive.

 

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

If they have already made queen cells, and, especially if they are capped, I would leave them. They may very well kill your new queen and go for the one they are making. You still have a Fall honey flow to look forward to.

cchoganjr

 

[GOHoney]

OK Cleo, I will ride it out. They are capped so I hope they get a queen from one of them.

 

[GOHoney]

Lesson learned today. I add a hive box and newspaper to introduce the new bees Sunday afternoon. I went to check them after work today. I only put in the five frames from the nuc box in an 8 frame box. They already had comb built from the bottom of the inner cover in the vacant space. And started storing nectar in it. I came home and got some frame and cut out the comb. Queen cells have not hatched yet.

 

[GOHoney]

I stopped and checked the new hive after work. There was a lot of drone activity around the hive. not just a few a lot. They were constantly in the air around the hive. Is this any indication the queen has hatched?

 

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

GoHoney..

Your timeline would indicate that at the very most, the queen cells are less than 15 days old. Queens are not ready to emerge and breed yet.

Try not to disturbe a colony making itself a new queen any more than absolutely necessary. Just give it time to make the queen cells, incubate, emerge, breed, return, start laying.

From the time I see the queen cells I like to wait 20-25 days.

cchoganjr

 

[GOHoney]

Cleo, I did not mess with them, I watched from a distance. There was just a lot of drones. Didn't know if it was cause of her, or hopefully her.

 

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

I don't know either, but, it is doubtful that either cell has emerged yet. I was using your post of the 20th and you said one week ago ( 13th??) today is the 24th, so approximately 11 days??? and that would assume queen cells made on the 13th.

cchoganjr

 

[GOHoney]

13th or later. There could have been fresh eggs on that frame. I am in a new realm of bee keeping with this.

 

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

I am in a new realm of bee keeping with this.[/QUOTE

Each experience is a new realm for me. Bees never read the books.

cchoganjr

 

[GOHoney]

I watched the new hive for a few minutes today. They are bringing in a lot of pollen.

 

[GOHoney]

I had to go take a look inside today. I got a bit of a surprise. I took off so many bees from this tree I had to put two deep 8 frame boxes on to hold them all. They have dawn out all the comb in just a few days, and in the second deep there are three frames in the middle with lots of capped brood on both sides. I did not dig into the bottom box. It has been 10 days since I took off the second bunch of bees. The two queen cells are open. From what I have read and been told on here there could be no way this is a new queen doing this work. I assume I took off the feral queen with the last bunch of bees. Comments welcome! I removed my trap from the tree, should I let them try to make a new queen or take the rest of them?