2 to 4 weeks is a bit long for a new queen not to be laying..
According to ABC&XYZ (and in keeping with my experience) queens mate between the 4th and 10th day, and lay eggs within 3 to 4 days after mating is completed. The average age out of the cell when a queen starts laying is 9 days. If the weather is good she will mate closer to the 4th day, If the weather is bad, she may have to wait.
The easiest way to know if you have a queen is to borrow a frame containing fresh eggs (but no bees) from another hive and put it into the brood nest. If the bees start making queen cells, they are queenless. Adding a frame of eggs and fresh brood is a good idea whether they are queenless or not. If they are, it will prevent them from becoming "hopeless" while you line up a replacement queen. If they aren't queenless, the frame of brood will give them a few reinforcements while the new queen gets going. (If you have no nectar flow, then you might want to weigh this against Tom's comment about a break in the brood cycle. I don't have this problem until about November, so I have no comment.)
I strongly suggest that you introduce a good strong queen immediately if they start queen cells in the new brood frame. If you let them start a new queen now they will lose too much valuable time and brood production and end up very weak by the time the new queen gets started laying. Just leave the queen cells in to keep them distracted (hopeful) until your new queen is ready to introduce, then remove the queen cells so they will be more inclined to accept your new queen.
Hope this helps!
Michael
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From: Tom & Carol Elliott[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 1997 9:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Lost Queen
Lawrence Cooke wrote:
> ..I looked in the hive and found an freshly opened Queen cell. So I closed it up..Today I took out frames to look of eggs and found no eggs AND no brood from old Queen. This is one of my 3 pound that I started two months ago.
Lawrence,
If you have a newly hatched queen cell, it will be at least 2 weeks, and
usually more like 4 weeks, before the new queen begins to lay. It would
be nice to know if you do have a virgin queen, if so no danger of laying
workers. Depending on your nectar flow, a break in the brood cycle
could be a good thing. Here in coastal Southcentral Alaska, I cage my
queens about the middle of July.
--
"Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Tom Elliott
Chugiak, Alaska
U.S.A.
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