if they're bringing pollen does that mean the queen's OK?

[drmwarden]

Someone asked this in the course of a different thread, but I never saw a response.  I requeened a couple of weeks ago, but the weather hasn't been co-operating in terms of my going back into the hive to check on her.  I do, however, see workers returning with pollen.  Is it safe to assume the new queen is OK?  If she's not, how long will the workers go on without a queen?  I'm not sure if I need to go back in and search for her (the swelling from all the stings from my previous adventure has gone, and I have a new veil, so if it warms up enough I could try again).

[Finsky]

I requeened a couple of weeks ago, but

You should be brave and open the hive. If hive has a queen, you see larvas and eggs in cells. If you have no larvas, hive have raised it's own  queen, and after 2 weeks hive has queen. If you give a new one, it will be killed. - Go and  open the hive.

You should o open the hive once a week and learn what is happening there and how a hive developes.

[Michael Bush]

I'd look for eggs and a queen.  I've seen queenless hives that didn't haul any pollen and I've seen queenless hives that were storing pollen like there was no tomorrow.  Usually it's one extreme or the other.

[leominsterbeeman]

As a beekeeper, you need to go into the hive. That is the only way to be sure that you have successfully re-queened.    Be not afraid.  If you can get another beekeeper to work with you that would be good.

Just go about it in a slow manner.

1. Get the suit and veil on and make sure the veil screen is away from your face.

2.  Have your smoker loaded and smoking with a good fuel supply.

3. start from the side or back with a few puffs of smoke.  small puff at entrances.  Wait a while (even up to a minute). So they can gorge themselves with honey.

4. Take the cover off slowly and put it on the ground.    Take the inner cover off and place it on the outer cover.  

5.  Slowly with your hive tool - take out the first end frame and keep it out.

6. take out the next frame and inspect for queen, larvae or eggs.

7. keep going in that order.  Best to find a queen or larvae and eggs.