When you have new queens in a Nuc or hive, the last thing you want to do is opening up the hive and inspecting it. The bees will blame the new queen for the disturbance and kill her. She needs to have at least some wet brood if not capped brood. If you are having to look for polished cells, you should not be in that hive/nuc.
Jim Altmiller
Agreed. I also can be and anxious lookie-loo!
Perhaps this would help has a guide:
- I know when the cell is going to hatch by either observing the cell capping date or graft date and marking the calendar in my smartphone or a piece of tape on the hive.
- In the nucs, I will check on the evening that she should have emerged to get confirmation and to adjust the calendar for that box.
- Then stay out for minimum 8 days. I go back on day 12 after emergence. If no eggs by then look for an explanation why, such as: queen lost, poor flight weather, laying workers, injury. If inexplicable, she gets 4 more days grace to show her stuff. Failing the grace period, she is pinched and a new cell put in.
Upon opening too early, I have seen the bees desperately trying to protect a fresh queen from my view by crawling on her back and packing tightly against her pinning her down into the comb. At least that is what I think it was. It certainly could be they were beginning to ball her due to my disruption. A week later she was fine and laying up a storm. Others I have opened early, seen her and a small patch of eggs. A week later she was gone and QCs started from her eggs.
Resist temptation. Go ahead and check the day or up to 2 days after she was supposed to emerge. No harm done then. After that, stay out for 10 days. 12 is better.
Hope that Helps!