# Seeing eggs but no brood...3 week old swarm



## Ambassador (Mar 30, 2012)

I installed a swarm in my first top bar hive roughly 3 weeks ago. Checked on them today to find about 6 partially drawn comb with lots of honey. There are cells with pollen and eggs are visible. However I'm not seeing any capped brood or larva and some of the cells have more than one egg. There are also a few queen cells (I think I counted 2-3 and one is visible on the left in the first photo.) I couldn't find a queen but I'm also not good at finding her yet either. My first thought was that I'm simply expecting brood too soon but that doesn't explain the queen cells I'm seeing (if they are queen cells.) Could it be they had a queen, lost her, and now they are trying to raise a new one or do I simply have a laying worker on my hands? Any suggestions?


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## Stephenpbird (May 22, 2011)

Ambassador said:


> I installed a swarm in my first top bar hive roughly 3 weeks ago. Checked on them today to find about 6 partially drawn comb with lots of honey.
> 
> Are you feeding them? If so how much and what mix?
> 
> ...


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## Ambassador (Mar 30, 2012)

Not feeding at all and yes they were a small swarm. Is the timing about right for a newly laying queen considering she was a virgin?


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Is that capped worker on #3 on the lower edge? Yes #1 is a q cell. Is or was a queen, LW not likely.


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## NewJoe (Jul 1, 2012)

Ambassador said:


> Not feeding at all and yes they were a small swarm. Is the timing about right for a newly laying queen considering she was a virgin?


yes the timing is about right....wait a little while and I think all will be ok


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## Ambassador (Mar 30, 2012)

Saltybee said:


> Is that capped worker on #3 on the lower edge? Yes #1 is a q cell. Is or was a queen, LW not likely.


Okay so if it is a queen cell then I for sure have a queen in the hive...but there also must have been a queen originally that was either killed by the hive or outed correct?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

It is only a queen cell if there if there is a larvae inside of it. That might be a queencell cup.


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## fruitveggirl (Mar 8, 2013)

I think I read somewhere that if you are seeing just 2, maybe 3 eggs per cell, it's likely a new queen. But the eggs will still be at the bottom and not on the sides. Laying workers, I've heard, will lay masses of eggs In a cell.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Looks honeybound as well to me. You have capped syrup cells. The bees are storing faster than they are drawing comb so the queen is double laying. I would slow up or stop feeding. The hive needs brood more than stores right now.


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## Ambassador (Mar 30, 2012)

Saltybee said:


> Looks honeybound as well to me. You have capped syrup cells. The bees are storing faster than they are drawing comb so the queen is double laying. I would slow up or stop feeding. The hive needs brood more than stores right now.


Not feeding anything and haven't been feeding at all =)


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Missed that above. Then you have a good location! My guess is they will work it out, just growing pains.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

The presence of a queen cell does _not _mean the queen is dead or missing. The QC could be just "insurance", or it could mean the bees are preparing to supersede the queen but she is still in the hive.

As for timing of new queens, this BeeMath page from Michael Bush is very useful:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Radar, what does the bottom of #3 photo look like to you? Looks like it is not capped honey = worker to me, though photo's are not a definate conclusion.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> Radar, what does the bottom of #3 photo look like to you? Looks like it is not capped honey

I agree that those cells appear to not be capped, and may also be empty.

My comment about queens was not meant to imply that I agree that I saw QCs in the photos. It was in response to the OP's comment of 


> Could it be they had a queen, lost her, and now they are trying to raise a new one




Photo 1 does have an area that the cells bump out in a manner that may resemble some QCs, but I am _not _going to _proclaim _that as a queen cell. :lookout:


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Asked and answered. Thanks.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Dang, looks like a nice flow going on there. I wish I had a few hives there!


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