Had a very productive day at the bee yard today. I must say, I feel quite proud of myself going into my third year. Had two hives already preparing to swarm. I spotted the capped cells, and then found the queen in each hive to pull her out into a nuc. Also had a hive that has gone queenless. I knew almost immediately by what I saw and heard after only checking a couple of frames in the top box. I would have been clueless a year or two ago. I pulled some eggs from another hive to give them something to work with. Hopefully, I can save the hive. The bee yard was full of drones, so they should be able to make a go of it.
This brings me to a question. Why would a hive suddenly go queenless this time of year. There was still open brood, so I would guess she kicked the bucket within the last week.