Elizabeth M. Bowles wrote:
 
Hi Elizabeth!  1.  Caucasian Queens can be very hard to find, being
solid black among black workers   2. Make the decision  to try queen
replacement on basis of NOT finding  A. Eggs-- maybe you can find a
local beekeeper to teach you to find them...Its easy to learn; for me
its best done on light colored comb,  in full sunlight; finding eggs
proves a queen alive within the last 72 hours.   A one day old larvae is
about the size of two commas tail to tail (as on this page,,); in an
additional 48 hours, then 6 days after the queen died, this larval brood
can be easily seen in good light.   3.  This queen, if alive, has
skipped from the brood nest across the second box and into the one(s)
above,  Unfortunately, you have to search them all well enough to say NO
QUEEN HAS LAID IN THE COLONY FOR 7 DAYS.  If this is true, consider
requeening(the most you'll be out of is the cost of a new queen) 4.  If
the queen is NOT dead, requeening will NOT work, she will not be
accepted.  5.  It sounds to me that your queen may very well not be
dead, because you found no queen cells, which are not too hard to find
if you carefully search every single bit of ALL brood area.  Try to
learn to identify larval brood by size, in days of age.   I think one
message from you said you could not often get out to your
beeyard(distant).  I understand that you have had a hard time here, but
I wish you well in getting some help...which may not be easy.  But Good
Luck.
 
Bob Barnett,  Birmingham, Alabama
<[log in to unmask]>
>
> In case you have not followed this string let me fill you in.  I think I
> may have killed my queen. :-(  It was suggested that I take a look and see
> what's happening inside the hive a few days later and look for new
> eggs.....
>
> I looked today (this is 1 week after the incident).  What I found was larva
> and capped brood in the brood chamber that the queen was (?) in and no
> queen cells.    Now two chambers above in a shallow box meant for honey I
> found lots of large capped brood cells (maybe drones ?) and a lot of larva
> and regular size capped brood.  As for the middle box it was just being
> filled with honey and I found no evidence of brood there.
>
> My bees are Caucasian and usually very docile but today there were quite
> aggressive and I had to use smoke (something I rarely do).
>
> Soooo.......what's the verdict?  do I get a new queen or what?
>
> Thanks for all your help, from a newbee.
>
> In Him,
>
> Elizabeth M. Bowles
> [log in to unmask]
> Missouri, USA