# When does a new queen start laying?



## mem (Oct 28, 2005)

Hi all;

Last week I received my package of bees. I installed them in the hive, and a week later went to check on them. The workers were busy and had drawn out a good (to my eyes, anyway) amount of comb. I could not locate the queen, and I did not see any evidence that she had been laying. Should I be worried? Could she be hiding and not laying yet? If I go ahead and get a new queen without locating the old one, can I do damage to the colony and its social structure?

Thanks

MEM


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

If I understand you this is a new package? Did you direct release the queen or allow the workers to release her? The queen will begin laying as soon as there is sufficient comb for her to lay in. Don't fret about not finding her right away (although to be honest although it surely seemed like a TON of bees in there, remember this is almost the SMALLEST the colony will ever be). I sometimes find them on the first outside frame I lift and othertimes I either find her on the far side of the box or not at all. No sweat, as long as I see eggs or larvae I know she's around. If you install a queen in a hive with an existing queen, the bees will attack and kill her as they already have a queen. Take another peek this weekend and if you still don't find any eggs/larvae then I would begin thinking about a new queen.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I ALSO instaled a hive last week! I could not see any eggs either but I blamed the overcast weather. Those eggs are pretty small!

I figure in another week there whould be larvae present, which are easier to see. I DID see my queen, which is unusual! I am terrible at finding queens! 

My thoughts on the matter: the bees that are shipped out are young bees. They should be able to wait another week if you ARE having a problem, though I suspect that you are not because they are building new comb. And, after another week there should be no more guesswork as larvae are easy to see: they will be under where the bees are very thick!


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## mem (Oct 28, 2005)

Thanks folks. I called the apiary and they sent a new queen. When I put her in the hive (the bees had been installed for about 13 days), I found the other queen, but still noevidencce that she had been laying much. There were a few capped cells, but nothing spectacular. We'll see how this one does....

Thanks again


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

mem said:


> Thanks folks. I called the apiary and they sent a new queen. When I put her in the hive (the bees had been installed for about 13 days), I found the other queen, but still noevidencce that she had been laying much. There were a few capped cells, but nothing spectacular. We'll see how this one does....
> 
> Thanks again


Good for you!

By this time a GOOD queen should have been laying hundreds of eggs a day. At least, mine always have! And, in ANOTHER 2 weeks, they are usually laying 1000 eggs or so a day!

You were right and I was wrong: your first queen was a lemon!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Lemon queens seem to be a common complaint with package bees these days at the club meetings.

 Al


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