Help! I think I waited too long to put on a second brood box and/or the super. I did a hive inspection yesterday and I couldn’t find the queen.
Bees are just sitting on the front porch moving forward and backward. They appear sluggish to me. I’m concerned! 
Hi Andy, that bee movement sounds like washboarding, which I believe is associated withe bees cooling the hive during hot weather. While looking for the queen, did you notice any brood of any stage? There’s no need to look for the queen unless you have a specific reason to. All we need to see is brood in all stages to satisfy our curiosity.
Did you see a drop in population since your previous inspection? Were there any remnants of queen cells on the bottoms or sides of the frames?
Hi Jeff, thanks for the response!! Our nuc was installed May 1st and so it’s been a month now. I’ve checked the hive twice since then and wanted to see them draw out the five brand new Flow frames. But now I understand that they don’t need to be 100% filled out before adding another brood box or super. My mistake!!
This morning shortly after reaching out here on the forum I found a NEW QUEEN. So, the original must have swarmed. I suppose our hive will have to rebuild now and I hope this queen starts laying soon. I found her outside of the brood box.
Please feel free to see a few pics of my broodbox inspection yesterday using this link below!
