Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On April 5, 2021, I opened my Elderberry hive for the first spring inspection. I found 8 queen cells and a few small patches of larva. There were no eggs or open brood. The only assumption I could make was that they had already swarmed. I wanted to introduce some new genes in my bee yard anyway, so I killed off all the queen cells except for 2 that hatched while I had it open.
I ordered a new queen from Barnyard Bees and after some rain & cold, I was finally able to start the introduction process today.
It seemed to go well. After 24 hours, I'll return and remove the plug and let the bees chew through the candy to let her out if all still looks well.
On April 5, 2021, I opened my Elderberry hive for the first spring inspection. I found 8 queen cells and a few small patches of larva. There were no eggs or open brood. The only assumption I could make was that they had already swarmed. I wanted to introduce some new genes in my bee yard anyway, so I killed off all the queen cells except for 2 that hatched while I had it open.
I ordered a new queen from Barnyard Bees and after some rain & cold, I was finally able to start the introduction process today.
It seemed to go well. After 24 hours, I'll return and remove the plug and let the bees chew through the candy to let her out if all still looks well.
