** Yes, this is called an afterswarm, and has only a virgin queen. It is
important for that queen to get mated soon, and the cold weather may have
interfered. It would be a very good idea to give them a frame of brood with
eggs, to make sure they have the wherewithal to make a queen if the first one
fails to get mated. Of course this is also a good idea for your original hive,
which would up with a virgin queen as well.**
 
Will my original hive produce anymore "after swarms"?  I didn't realize that
they could swarm so soon after a big primary swarm.  I did take a frame of
honey out of my 1st hive and put in in the nuc box.  I am rather hesitant to go
into the brood chamber as I don't want to do anything that would hurt the new
gueen there.  How soon will the virgin queens take flight and get mated?
I do plan to check both hives in a couple of weeks and check for a good brood
pattern.
 
 ** Have you been feeding them?  Or was this an entirely natural swarm?**
 
No, I had not been feeding the hive.  As we had a mild winter, the queen
started laying brood in Dec. or Jan.  I use a double brood chamber and left a
shallow super full of honey on also.  I wanted to make sure they had plenty to
get through the winter.  Perhaps I have pampered them too much.  There were a
hugh amount of bees in the hive when I medicated with apistan on Feb. 10.  I
was too inexperienced at that point to know that I needed to take action and
remove some brood then.
 
I have a new queen coming in April, so my next bit of excitement will be
requeening.  I sure hope that I can find Her Majesty in the hive that I decide
to requeen.
 
Thanks,
 
Florence Cooper
Jackson, MS USA