During my first full inspections of 2014 on April 1st I found one of my single deep overwintered hives to be void of any sign of a queen. However, there was a four good frames more than 2/3 full of bees. I checked it again on the 5th and my observation was the same. I placed a small piece of comb with eggs in the middle of one of the frames. I checked on the hive today, the 9th. They hadn't touched the comb with eggs I placed in there on the 5th. I saw several frames with eggs, some larvae and what appeared to be a few queen cups. I looked very thoroughly for a queen but with no avail. One concerning observation caught my eye. A few cells appeared to have two eggs. Confusing though, because they were in the center and not on the wall.
So, here is where the real discussion begins. It could be the work of a laying worker, a new and inexperienced small queen as a result of a late summer swarm or a small queen I can't find that is laying twice because there are not enough bees to keep the eggs warm. Can she tell if an egg is not viable and then lays another in the cell with it?
And looking to the future for a remedy, I am liking what I read from an article found in the American Bee Journal entitled, "Foolproof Requeening," by Buddy Marterre, MD. Here is a link that shows the important excerpt:
http://marinbees.com/wp/laying-workerI am leaning toward his idea of combining and then splitting the hive when all is queen right. This way, I am not wasting bees that I would shake into the yard that won't make it back. Here are some pics of this hive from the 5th and today. I am thinking one or two of the cells with a large larvae with pronounced cell edges may be a drone cell on it's way to being capped? I am interested in what you bee masters may have to say about what you observed.
The 5th of April
Today, the 9th of April
