Okay, I have a hive ( a three and a half week old package ) that wound up losing a good amount of the workers to drift. They also decided to supersede their new queen ---I left one healthy cell for them to do this after reading here that it's common, and it's best to allow them to handle it.
I checked today and the cell had hatched, and I did see a queen on the comb -- I don't know if this is the old queen, or the new queen --- I mean, either one could have won in a queen battle -- two weeks ago there was a small neat patch of capped brood -- about the size of a dvd.
Now there is a sparse ring of maybe 20 cells capped. This is possibly from the original queen.
I didn't see any eggs or larvae but I am planning on getting a better look in the morning.
There are maybe a few hundred workers left in this sad little colony. They have syrup in cells, but there were empty as well. Since all my 4 other hives are also new, though doing way better than this! --- I really don't want to take brood from any others. I am not sure what to do, if there was any hope for these guys, I'd love to know what to do ---- and I hate to 'waste' a good queen.
Although I have no way yet to know if this IS a good one, really --- for all I know shes an unsuccessfully mated virgin
Ideas on any way to save them? Or how to proceed? Thanks!
I checked today and the cell had hatched, and I did see a queen on the comb -- I don't know if this is the old queen, or the new queen --- I mean, either one could have won in a queen battle -- two weeks ago there was a small neat patch of capped brood -- about the size of a dvd.
Now there is a sparse ring of maybe 20 cells capped. This is possibly from the original queen.
I didn't see any eggs or larvae but I am planning on getting a better look in the morning.
There are maybe a few hundred workers left in this sad little colony. They have syrup in cells, but there were empty as well. Since all my 4 other hives are also new, though doing way better than this! --- I really don't want to take brood from any others. I am not sure what to do, if there was any hope for these guys, I'd love to know what to do ---- and I hate to 'waste' a good queen.
Although I have no way yet to know if this IS a good one, really --- for all I know shes an unsuccessfully mated virgin
Ideas on any way to save them? Or how to proceed? Thanks!