Hi all...

A question from a relative newbee (with only 3 years under my belt, I still
certainly feel like a newbee. :-)

I went out to inspect my 4 colonies this morning.  2 of the colonies were
started from packages a month ago.  I split one colony.  All the hives
have new Buckfast queens.  All the colonies except the one I made the split
split from seem to doing well.  All are actively foraging.  The one the split
was taken from has me concerned.

When I opened it, there was this unusual odor.  It reminded me of wet, cut
grass that was starting to rot, but the smell was nowhere near as
overpowering.  I didn't see any obvious signs of disease.  But that smell
sure is nasty.  If it is nectar, I'm curious what it is. :-)

What I did see was a lot of capped brood.  Most of it looks like drone.  I
didn't spot the queen.  Though she isn't marked and with all the bees, I could
easily miss her. The bees were a bit more aggressive then usual, but I didn't
get stung.

Is it possible the new queen failed?  There are no supercedure cells.
Could I have laying worker or just a bad new queen or just one that hasn't
settled down yet?  And how do I figure which it is?  What is my best choice
this late in the Spring if there is a problem?  Recombine the split colony?

I would appreciate any advice bee-l'ers can offer.  Thanks.

           bob
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        bob billson       email: [log in to unmask]       ham: kc2wz