> I wonder if it is more likely that the problem he observed was simply drone layer hives developing after failed requeening post-swarming?

Queen loss from mating flights can be high, and fatal. This just out:

> Overall, during my 5-year-experiment, queen losses amounted to 18%. Out of 303 queens used in the experiments, there was a loss of 55 queens (18.1%). Spacing hives or nucs so that they are close to trees or shrubs significantly decreased the losses of queens. From colonies placed in rows without landmarks, 41.8% of the queens were lost compared to 11.8% from colonies placed in rows where there were bushes or trees in the vicinity. 

Jakub Gąbka (2018) Drifting of honey bee queens returning from flights, 
Journal of Apicultural Research, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2018.1492502

* Even this last number means one in ten fails, but since the majority of commercial beekeepers put hives in very long rows, 42% is even more problematic. Queen breeders, on the other hand, do as much as possible to avoid drifting and queen loss. Even so, losses can still be high as seen here. One of my mentors told me if you don't have enough, raise twice as many. Always have more than enough, even if it means some don't get used.

PLB

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