It’s been 4 weeks since my original hive swarmed (on 2 October). With the help of a local beekeeper I caught it and it has produced a new queen (see photo with red dot - a bit blurry). However, I can’t see any capped brood or larvae. Not the best at identifying eggs but don’t think I see any eggs either. There’s some capped honey and pollen. It’s spring in Sydney so I think there’s plenty of nectar flow.
The new hive with the original queen is doing well, lots of capped brood and some drones too. When should I put another box on? Should I add an ideal super or a full sized super?
With the original hive - I am not sure if I should replace the new queen? Is it possible her mating flight got interrupted and she’s not properly mated? Will she attempt another mating flight?
Thanks Mike, I’m very relieved! It’s hard to know when to interfere or when to do nothing…but I’ve always been a fan of less is more (although doing nothing did lead to them swarming this year so I’ll have to try something different next time )
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