Any ideas what happened here !!!

[Jed D]

Collected a really nice size swarm on the first of June.
Dropped the bees straight onto 11 frames of Foundation.

Went to check them yesterday , low and behold most of the frames are now drawn with good stores.
Now for the interest in bit ,5 capped Queen cells no brood & couldn't see any Queen!!!!


Any ideas as I've never seen this one before or have already had any beekeeping book.

 

[Thymallus]

Had this happen once, noticed original queen was damaged when first installed (presumably by me when collecting swarm), her abdomen final tergites were very flattened and loose). She started laying but disappeared within 2 weeks as they superceded her. Not that I'm saying this is what is happening to your swarm, but a possible explanation.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Swarmy bees tend to swarm a lot.
Wish them well you don't want to keep bees like that.


Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[mbc]

It's a fair old effort laying up a whole new nest from scratch and the old girl had probably spent her last reserves before shuffling off.

 

[Mrs Shoot]

Collected a swarm 6 weeks ago now filled a broad box in 3 weeks and started producing charged QC's. Broke them down added another broad box to see if that would change their minds. Following more charged QC's so did an AS putting the queen in a nuc with 1 frame of broad a few nurse bees, 5 new frames in original position. Left a nice open QC with larve in old hive in new position with all remaining frames.
Following week found 2 sealed QC's at the bottom of the frame in the nuc, other framed being drawn out and she was laying nicely, and still in the nuc. Removed the frame with the QC's to another nuc with some bees.
Checked on the nucs this week, queen still in her nuc, no more QC's and happily filling it up. Checked on the nuc with the 2 next to each other sealed QC's, still sealed but eggs on the frame, center of the cells. searched the nuc from top to bottom, 4 of looking, couldn't find any queen strange. Will be checking again today.

 

[oliver90owner]

Some strains of bees do brood and swarm. Answer is to get some decent queens.

Like mbc wrote. Swarmed queens are often superceded before the season end because they are old and some will expire at inopportune times.

If there is really no brood, those cells could well be empty. I would be checking.....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's a fair old effort laying up a whole new nest from scratch and the old girl had probably spent her last reserves before shuffling off.

Picked up two swarms who did just that last year.
Also just this week decided to shake out a hopelessly queenless colony rather than faff around with uniting and found two charged queencells - no evidence of any other laying let aloneworkers laying yet apart from these two cells - strange

 

[Jed D]

Hey, that's better.. home from work & at my computer..
Whenever I post something on the forum via my phone, it comes out a jumbled up mess ' but you guessed what I was trying to say...

As posted above , Yep, 5 capped Q/cells . No brood what so ever !!
I didn't mention it earlier ' but I did pop a cell open to see if they were loaded and yes the one I opened was...
I've never seen this before , so It did leave me scratching my head..

How does a duff Queen produce eggs for Queen cells and are they any good ???

As for swarmy Bees , if Bees didn't swarm. Would there be any colonies left ?

As I have a colony on 4/5 frames of brood on the same site and the Limes , look to be only a week away.
I'll knock all the cells down and unite them..
After another finger tip search for a dodgy queen !!!!!

Thanks Guys

 

[REDWOOD]

Same thing happened to me this year, a swarm moved in to an empty BB with drawn frames, laid it right up and then found two supersedure cells, looked today and bee numbers have expanded and the new queen is laying well with now a super on top.

 

[bingevader]

Looks like ours may have gone the same way.
A good sized swarm to fill a nuc.
Queen started laying, but then stopped and has disappeared.

 

[Fatbee]

I get a feel queens disappearing is more common this year? Did a Demaree, queen been laying great guns, and queen going back in bottom box on the frame she was on with no fuss, two weeks later no evidence that she had started laying at all. Bit annoying although now have introduced a new queen who's laying up well but could have done without the two week brood break

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees must be swarming on supersedure cells so that the departing queen doesn't last long or perhaps a queen might get killed by the beekeeper and the bees swarm on a scrub emergency queen?

 

[masterBK]

Most likely queen and some of the bees have absconded or (as above post) killed accidently by beekeeper. Would have expected emergency cells in both of these scenarios if young larvae /eggs on frame transferred with queen.

 

[bontbee]

QUOTE=Erichalfbee;486216]perhaps a queen might get killed by the beekeeper and the bees swarm on a scrub emergency queen?[/QUOTE]

Well, I think I damaged her in a moment of inattention, and the bees finished her off and then they did exactly that.

Having found the emergency cells at the next visit, and having heard that bees don't swarm off emergency cells, I thought I'd test the theory for myself and left them to it. Next time I opened the hive there was a distinct lack of bees and several cells from which the girls had emerged.

I also deliberately removed a queen from a second colony to test it again. I know it's a small sample, but for me 100% of bees swarm off emergency cells...