# day 10



## NCSUbeeKEEPER (Feb 28, 2011)

Did you only check for capped brood? What about eggs or larva? If you're completely broodless after 2 weeks you need to requeen.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

I didn't really check for eggs, but I didn't see any larvae either. I will take another look in about a week to see if things have changed. I assume after a certain point in the season it becomes difficult to order queens?


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## johnblagg (May 15, 2011)

eggs hatch on 3rd day and larvae get capped 6 days after they hatch I think so I would not worry yet.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

yeah, all I have to go by is reading (my first year), eggs 3 days, larva 6, pupa 12 (for worker bees), I figure if the install was 5/16, obviously there was no place to lay while they were building comb, so maybe another week should definitely have at the very least some larvae and probably capped brood


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## johnblagg (May 15, 2011)

well mine were pretty quick and I had eggs 3 days after I caught them ...but I had now supplies at all and I found a waxed cardbord box about 5 frame nuc size and placed one frame of foundation I did have in it for them to start on ...and my hive came ups in just 3 days from Brushy Mountain ...they were realy good about getting it right out for me. and lucky for me we were in a two week break weather wise so they had a little time to get going well,But from reading the forums here up to two weeks before the queen starts laying eggs is possible


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have seen package queens start as early as day 3 and as late as day 14.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

Thanks. My plan is to wait a few more weeks and see where things are. They are working on bar 5 right now, first 3 bars of comb are almost complete.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

About ordering queens - it isn't too late to get queens, and the ones that you get are more likely to be well mated than the ones that are produced earlier in the season, because the weather is more settled. There are only a few days when a virgin can mate, and if the weather is cold, windy, rainy, a lot of that time then she may only secure a few suitors instead of the 15 or so matings that you want. May/June queens are *likely* to be better than a month earlier.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

It will probably be mid-June before I know if I'm without a queen or not. I'm going to give them a few more weeks before inspecting comb again.


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## Skilter (Mar 23, 2011)

Ok... I am new as well. Doing it all on my own. But, I just stick them in and don't touch them or bother them for at least 3 weeks unless they start to swarm. I had a TBH that I dumped a 10K bee swarm in, then we had some bad weather that night so l locked them in with some honey on a dish. Pulled the opening next morning, honey was all gone and they were ready to swarm by afternoon. They formed on the outside of the TBH, I dumped them in a box, dumped them back in the TBH and then they took. My other TBH, I dumped a 15K swarm in it, left it alone for 3 weeks before inspection (I do get to look though as I only run screened bottoms in TX) and they took and started building comb right away. Nothing but pure wood and popsicle sticks in grooves.They did start cross building so I moved that bar to the back with a nice big comb. They started building brood combs back toward the front and now are putting honey in the original comb I moved. Weird, huh? These little guys are great in that hive, albeit a little uptight and aggressive.

I guess what I am saying is I don't worry about it so much since I don't buy packages. Make arrangements with a good pest control guy around you that removes bees and pay him a few bucks and he will ring your phone off the hook to bring you bee swarms and keep working them until they stick in your hives and start building. I figure if I get a big enough swarm for a big TBH and stuff them in, they will re-queen themselves eventually. But, then again... I am new and really going about it from a natural, hands off way (with the exception of disease and parasites).


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Thanks. My plan is to wait a few more weeks and see where things are.

If you installed on 5/16 I would order a queen if you don't have eggs by the last day of May. I would not wait a "few more weeks" as it will be too late to resolve by then as you'll have laying workers and other issues to deal with.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

Michael Bush said:


> >Thanks. My plan is to wait a few more weeks and see where things are.
> 
> If you installed on 5/16 I would order a queen if you don't have eggs by the last day of May. I would not wait a "few more weeks" as it will be too late to resolve by then as you'll have laying workers and other issues to deal with.


The winds are back up near 40 again but they are supposed to settle down Monday or Tuesday, I will check the comb again then and see where things stand.

Thanks for the advice!


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

just wanted to close this thread out... wind finally calmed down so I took a quick look in the hive today, did not see the queen but saw capped brood and larvae so things appear to be OK, they are just now starting on bar 7 (building comb)

I did notice they are attaching some of the comb/bars near the top (just a couple places) but the wax is soft and they pulled apart easily, hopefully that won't become too much of a problem.


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## Beethinking (Jun 2, 2008)

Blist: Did you see eggs, too?


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

Cacklewack said:


> Blist: Did you see eggs, too?


I didn't see any eggs, however, the comb is new and eggs aren't super easy to see on fresh white comb, even the larvae were a little difficult to see. I probably should have taken a little more time and looked real hard for eggs and even the queen but it was extremely hot...you know how that goes.


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## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

For some reason eggs and the queen were much easier for me to see on fresh comb. Queen makes sense because she is carniolan and black on dark/old comb is hard to see, but eggs just popped out at me on the fresh comb.


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## blist (Jun 15, 2010)

I just took a peek through the observation window because I had a few spare minutes and I saw her majesty in all her glory on the outside bar (comb). All her attendants encircled her (head first)...she slowly turned around, laid an egg in a cell and then slowly crawled out of sight.

I imagine a lot of people (not on this forum) would think it is crazy I got so excited to see that, heheh.


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## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ya I saw my first queen the other day and I was practically screaming. XD


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>For some reason eggs and the queen were much easier for me to see on fresh comb. 

There's more light in the cell with new comb. A flashlight is very helpful looking for eggs...


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