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BUCKS COUNTY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

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Two Virgin Queen swarms in Same Deep hive.

  • May 10, 2024 4:58 PM
    Quote
    Message # 13355247
    Brynnen

    Bees continue to amaze me with behaviors that are just unexpected.  I caught a huge virgin queen swarm out of one of my hives.  They were easy to catch and put in a deep hive box because they congregated on low lying peach tree limb.  I new it was a virgin queen because I had removed the old queen about 23 days ago.  The hive box with bottom board was on the ground under the tree.  I then added another deep because they were so crowded.  Then, much to my surprise, another hive swarmed.  I also new it was a virgin queen swarm becaused I had removed the old queen.  This swarm circled in the air and moved to the same peach tree.  I thought they were going to land on a limb, but NO, they went into the same hive box under the tree that contained the previous swarm.  Has anyone seen this before? Do the virgin queens fight it out and the winner takes all? These swarms were from two different hives.
  • May 13, 2024 12:22 PM
    Quote
    Reply # 13356009 on 13355247
    Kurt (Administrator)

    Interesting.   I would think the two virgins will fight it out.  Perhaps the one virgin was out getting mated when the new swarm moved in.   I guess we could speculate as to what and why but I'd say give them a week or two undisturbed and check to see if you have a mated queen that is laying.   Double your chances that one of the two get mated.  After two weeks and NO eggs you will need to take action - insert a test frame with eggs and see if they draw queen cells in 4-5 days. 

    It is NOT unheard of to have a hive with two queens but certainly odd.   
  • May 15, 2024 10:25 AM
    Quote
    Reply # 13357098 on 13355247
    Ignatius

    I watched two of my colonies, swarm and land on exactly the same spot. This storm was so big that finding a queen, virgin, or not, would have been impossible. They are now sitting in a double deep, and I am waiting to see which of the two queens Comes out a winner. The important thing here is that the colony needs to queen right. If I don’t see evidence of a queen in two weeks, I will put a rated queen in there.
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