[peter winter]

We are backyard beekeepeers. This season we started with one hive, it swarmed (regardless of our mitigation measures), which is fine as we wanted 2 hives and caught that swarm. 12 days later we had what appeared to be two swarms into the same tree. It doesn't appear that the original hive has a queen, plus very little brood and no eggs. So here is my question: if we check the original hive and determine there is still no queen. Can we just take one of the two new swarms and combine it with that hive, instead of buying a new queen?

Thanx!

 

[psfred]

I would hive all the swarms and wait. I'd guess in a week or so you will find eggs in the original hive after a virgin queen mates and starts laying. I would not combine the swarm with the original hive unless you verify that there is in fact no queen -- it is quite difficult to find a virgin queen because she isn't much larger than a worker until she starts laying.

The original queen is in the first swarm. The next two swarms are after-swarms with virgin queens that emerged after the first one left and new queens emerged from their cells. You likely have a newly emerged queen in the original hive at the moment.

I've not had this problem, but someone else probably has more advise. Feed the new swarms and keep and eye on them!

Peter

 

[Vance G]

Agree with Fred. Stay clear of the swarmed hive for a couple weeks to let here harden and mate. If still no eggs at that time, combine one of the swarms with original hive.

 

[JRG13]

New queen needs a couple weeks go get mated and laying