Problems and Solutions

Having a problem with your bees, or just a question about beekeeping?  Feel free to fill in the comment section below with your question and you can also comment with answers.  I'll work to keep this updated as comments come in.

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Question:  My bees swarmed a couple weeks ago, and looking in the hive I found no queen, eggs or larva.  There were a few capped drone cells.  Should I introduce a new queen?

Answer:  Your original queen will leave with typically thousands of worker bees in the swarm.  To prepare for the swarm flight, she has likely quit laying for some days, creating a gap in the brood production. She will swarm once a replacement queen cell is capped.  The new queen will likely emerge as much as 8 days after the swarm.  She will then need to do her mating flight(s), and then there can be several days before she begins to lay eggs.  So, don't be alarmed if you don't see any brood for a period of time after the swarm. You aren't necessarily queenless.  Give it a couple weeks, then check.  If no sign of eggs or young larva at that time, you could consider requeening.