new laying queens

[beeyhz]

Hello everyone.

Posted a thread 3 weeks ago about catching a swarm from my two hives.  I have been waiting to see some eggs from my two hives that swarmed, caught one and one got away.  I also pulled a nuc out of the one hive that I caught the swarm from and put aside. 

Just an interesting observation, the two original hives took almost 3 weeks to get the new queens laying.  I would say based on the larvae development that they are 5-6 days old.  The nuc, that the queen hatched out and mated and already got three partial frames with capped brood so I'm guessing she has been laying for at least 9-11 days I'm guessing, maybe a few days more.  Interesting how the nuc got out and breed and back to work laying well ahead of the two swarmed hives.  Wonder if it is just coincidence or maybe something to do with the size of the hive, 4 frame nuc vs 2-deep brood boxes with honey supers on.

so I'm happy, got all the virgins mated and back and laying!

[apisbees]

Have you considered cast swarms? In the hive the queen will be laying through to day 9 or 10 of the 16 day queen cycle. the queen will leave the hive with a swarm on day 12 to 14, and the first queen cell emerge on day 16. but not all the queen cells were started on the first day. The bees will continue to raise more cells from young larva if it is available so you can have varying ages of queen cells that will be emerging over 10 days.
The hive has swarmed and by right the first queen cell to emerge should be the queen in line to take the throne. Not always, it the bees still think the hive is not balanced they will protect the cells that have not emerged and swarms will leave with virgin queens leaving the hive to hatch out the next hive to take the throne. Because the brood is hatching out all along, even though the a good percentage of bees have left with the first swarm the hive population will remain high through the first few swarms. I have seen hives swarm themselves to death.
The frame with the queen cell you put in the nuc was done with swarming and got on supporting the queen. the bees in the hive with all the brood ether where left with younger cells that where days away from emerging or cast swarms where issued.