Hello,
 
I had almost the same experience the summer before last.  I had
just acquired a few established hives and was told that one had
recently swarmed.  When I opened this hive ( a 3-medium brood
chamber) a queen cell between the boxes was broken open and what
appeared to be a fully-developed queen disappeared quickly into
the lower box.  I do not know what became of her but I still
have the hive and it is very much alive.
 
These hives, BTW, had been totally unattended since the
beekeeper died in 1992 until I took them over in 1996.  The
family had left them in place but had not touched them.. . .
I did find them to have Varroa in the drone cells so I treated
them with Apistan. . .So no way to evaluate any
possible natural resistance, but I do still have the same bees.
 
Regards,
 
Fred
 
(in Virginia)
 
 
According to Paul Cronshaw, D.C.:
>
> HI from Rainy Santa Barbara,
>
> One of my hives being tended by a beginning beekeeper swarmed on Fri while
> I was in Las Vegas. Fortunately my student was onthe ball and captured the
> hive in a cardboard box, covered with plastic to protect it from some heavy
> rains we have been having.
>
> There was a brief lull in the storm today so we cracked open the hive,
> separating the two brood chambers to show him what queen cells look like in
> various stages of development.  Mostly undeveloped queens but there was one
> which showed a rather mature queen.  She backed out of her cell and
> disappeared down into the colony.
>
> I told my student that I hope she is mature enough to get rid of all the
> others.  THe rainy weather will keep the bees caged for the next week so
> plenty of time for her to destroy the rivals.
>
> Keeping my fingers crossed that she does fly from the hive with a secondary
> swarm.
>
> Anyone else had this experience?
>
> Paul Cronshaw DC
> Hobby beekeeper in Santa Barbara
>