Hard to Believe!

[Busy Bee]

Hello People,

It's hard to believe but I have 2 hives which I sort of neglected until further time to sort both of them. They had swarmed sometime around 18-24th April, virgin queens resident 28th April, hives just sat and done nothing, queens not mated and what I thought went stale.

Yesterday I went to place a test frame in each to establish Q- to unite with other colonies. I could'nt believe it eggs in both hives probably started laying around Sunday or Monday, which would be about right after 3 days of hot weather last Thursday and Friday. I make it around about 6 weeks thats 42 days or more, kinda makes a laugh out of the books.....3-4 weeks.

I have another hive in same condition but it is definately Q- and needs a QC but who's knows anymore its all f'd up even the bees!

Busy Bee

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's why us newbies are being told over and over again......"Patience"
It's difficult. I'm looking into one box six weeks after doing an AS tomorrow, nothing doing last week.
Well done you....or the bees really.... fingers crossed for worker brood.

 

[enrico]

So many times I have been called to queenless hives and in maybe 90 percent of cases they have come right on their own. Believe in your bees, they want to survive. Patience is a real virtue. Especially in beekeeping. that is why bees have been getting cross this year, I am sure they get fed up with newbees opening them up to see what is going on!!!
Pleased to hear your bees are surviving and well done for having the patience of a saint!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm looking into one box six weeks after doing an AS tomorrow, nothing doing last week.

Looked in today as weather was good.
Well blow me down.
Eggs........lots of them. Looked for HM as had marked her previously but she eluded me.
So that's two of us praying for worker rather than drone brood.

 

[Tom Bick]

Looked in today as weather was good.
Well blow me down.
Eggs........lots of them. Looked for HM as had marked her previously but she eluded me.
So that's two of us praying for worker rather than drone brood.

So am I thinking you marked a virgin queen?

I don’t know if others do this but perhaps its best to let them start to lay and then mark them.

Good look with the eggs

 

[Erichalfbee]

So am I thinking you marked a virgin queen?

I don’t know if others do this but perhaps its best to let them start to lay and then mark them.

Good look with the eggs

Yes.
I was that convinced she was duff I was going to knobble her last week, changed my mind but thought I'd mark her to find her easily this weekend.
Was fully prepared to unite tonight.

 

[Tom Bick]

Ok that was your call at the time and that is what beekeeping is about at times.

I wonder if she was already mated and just coming into lay?

I don’t know the effect on virgin queens that are marked but I suspect it gives them a disadvantage.

Some people think marking a laying queen is a bad thing to do?

She just may be your best queen in time and one you will remember

 

[Headnavigator]

For what it's worth I was told on my course never to mark a virgin as the drones will most likely reject a marked one. (Picky, aren't they if that's right!)

 

[Erichalfbee]

For what it's worth I was told on my course never to mark a virgin

Me too; however, I thought she'd had it. It was a split second decision.
Will have to wait a week to see if she's OK.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wonder if she was already mated and just coming into lay?

The eggs are lying flat so maybe you're right,Tom

 

[Easy Beesy]

'the eggs are lying flat' only means the eggs were laid 2-3 days ago - it has nothing to do with when she was mated as far as I know.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well, looked in on Thursday and the second frame in had a patch of drone brood,maybe 50/60 cells towards the bottom half of the frame
That's it, I thought
BUT the next frame had a bigger patch, in the middle, of worker brood and there was a bigger area on the other side and a half of one side of the fourth was flat worker too.

Didn't spot the queen, I'd like to see if she's got any fatter

 

[beebreeder]

It's not unusual to see some drone brood from a new queen when she first comes into lay, it sometimes takes a while for things to sort themselves out, but when they are known to be laying correctly they are best left alone, the workers will move any honey stored in the wrng place, keep opening the colony just icreases the risk of the new queen getting balled.

 

[Busy Bee]

Just an update my last colony which swarmed around 30th April mated last week which I think was around 10th June so there it is the books are WRONG! or is there some other explanations for this late breeding. Time will tell how good the queen is but it solves alot of procedure with a Q- hive, this hive can be re-queened relatively easy with not much hassle..

Busy Bee

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's not unusual to see some drone brood from a new queen when she first comes into lay, it sometimes takes a while for things to sort themselves out, but when they are known to be laying correctly they are best left alone, the workers will move any honey stored in the wrng place, keep opening the colony just icreases the risk of the new queen getting balled.

Thanks beebreeder, I'll leave it a couple of weeks to let her settle down.

 

[Heather]

Best thing for the bees.... the bee keeper going on holiday