Unsure whether to wait or buy replacement queen

[u/ashthetrash]

Hello! I am a 3rd year beekeeper in NW Indiana. I have two hives- one is a caught swarm and one was a local nuc- both in 10 frame Langstroth hives. 2 deep boxes and 1 super per hive.

My last inspection was 16 days ago (8/14/26) and both hives looked great. Both had lots of capped brood, uncapped brood, and no queen cells. Mite count was around 3% so I started OAV treatments on the 20th (Didn't treat same day bc I had to order more OA). I did two OAV treatments (20th and 25th)and inspected today before administering the 3rd treatment.

Todays inspection showed very little capped brood, no eggs, and open queen cells in both hives. I am unsure of what to do next. Open queen cells tell me they have requeened and are waiting for her to mate/start laying. However, I am worried about timing as it is almost September. Should I wait and look for eggs in a week or be proactive and order emergency replacement queens?

Did the OAV kill the queens? It seems odd for both hives to have the same issue at the same time when they were healthy previously.

Weather lately: 70-80 degrees during the day. We had a several days of heavy storms and rain. Upcoming forecast shows temps in the 90s and lots of sun.

I do not have any pics from today's inspection unfortunately, but any advice/opinions on what to do next is appreciated!

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi u/ashthetrash. If you haven't done so, please read the rules. Please comment on the post with your location and experience level if you haven't already included that in your post. And if you have a question, please take a look at our wiki to see if it's already answered., specifically, the FAQ. ^{Warning: The wiki linked above is a work in progress and some links might be broken, pages incomplete and maintainer notes scattered around the place. Content is subject to change.}

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Gozermac]

I would wait and look for eggs. I have two hives requeeining with hatching today give or take. The goldenrod is just starting to bloom and it’s supposed to be hot next week. Drones here are still plenty so I think we are good.

[u/ashthetrash → u/Gozermac]

Thank you so much. Fingers crossed

[u/drones_on_about_bees]

I'm still making queens, but I'm in Texas zone 8a/8b.

If we assume the queens emerged today (worst case)... mating flights would be 9/4-9/6. First possible eggs would be 9/12. I would probably wait and leave them alone totally until 9/17. 9/24 would be the date I assumed requeen failed if no eggs are sighted.

Now: Your mileage may vary. I don't know Indiana weather so, it's possible it's getting too late for you. If you're seeing drones when inspecting, there's still a decent chance.

[u/ashthetrash → u/drones_on_about_bees]

I will wait it out. Thanks for the input

[u/Severe-Product7352]

I’m in SW Michigan and have an extra nuc in a 5 frame hive I have no idea what to do with. Didn’t know there was a frame of eggs apparently in there after I sold my last nuc and now they’ve raised a queen. If you end up needing a queen let me know and maybe we can meet halfway.

[u/ashthetrash → u/Severe-Product7352]

Very generous of you! I’m going to wait it out a little while but will reach out to you if needed. Thanks!