[Chick]

I picked up a swarm, that had started drawing out wild comb, on the limbs they were on. I noticed that there was no brood in any of the 6 combs, which were deep enough for eggs. I placed them in a deep super, with foundation and a feeder. A week later, I inspect, and although there is foundation drawn out deep enough for eggs, but there are none. They have put up a small amount of honey. They are not taking in the sugar water, but the honey flow is starting. I looked through the hive 3 times, and could not locate a queen. I have never heard of a hive working, without a queen. They are bringing in a small amount of pollen, and have drawn out some foundation and made honey, but they are not overly active. Have any of you seen a hive work, without a queen? Oh, I have a queen excluder across the entrance, so the queen could not abscond with the swarm, so the queen should be there.

What is your experience with things like this?

Thanks.

 

[Beeslave]

You may have a swarm with a virgin(had) and when you collected it the virgin was out on a mating flight cuz they decided to make their home there. Or you got the virgin and your excluded entrance is not allowing her to go out and mate.

 

[Nichols747]

Somewhat related question - I captured what I am pretty sure is an afterswarm yesterday. I put an entrance reducer that necks down the entrance to a 2, maybe 3 bee hole. Will this affect the queen's abillity to exit and fly if needed? Also, how long should I keep that reducer on? Till I have a laying queen rebuilding the group?

 

[Chick]

My understanding is that when a swarm cell queen emerges, she goes on a mating flight, and the old queen leaves with the swarm. The young queen comes back and establishes herself in the hive. In afterswarms, the swarm will have a mated queen, but she will be young. I have never heard that a virgin queen will leave with a swarm. But, the question is, will the colony work, without a queen?

 

[Beeslave]

Sometimes there can be several virgins within a swarm. They don't have to be mated to swarm.

Bees are bees and bees like to work. They will work without a queen but they work themselves to death and there are no others to take their place.

When you open the hive and starting inspecting do they get loud or stay calm and quiet? If they get loud they are probally QL. If they are filling all the cells with honey they could be QL. If they are leaving open areas(not 1 or 2 cells but a circular area) of drawnout cells they probally got a queen.