It has been two weeks since I first hived the new package of bees and a little over a week since Ramona was released from her cage. The girls have been busy drawing out wax even in areas like the hive feeder.
Once I got into the hive, I was a bit nervous on how Ramona was doing. A good chunk of the comb is filled with the syrup and they are starting to cap a lot of it off. I really don’t want the hive to be honey bound and not have anywhere for Ramona to lay. I did see one or two frames with eggs, larvae, and capped brood so maybe she is just starting to hit her stride.
I did see a few cells with 2 eggs in them which usually indicates a laying worker if you find them in large quantities. I only saw a handful so I’m hopeful this is normal for a new queen. We did see Ramona so we confirmed she was still there.
The thing that has me the most worried is a possible supersedure cell in the picture below. It was covered in bees, in the middle of the frame, and was hard to see clearly. I have a shot below if any one wants to weigh in with an opinion.
I know Ramona is alive and is starting to lay, but the bees know better than I if she is up to the task. We’ll see what it looks like next week, but who knows, Queen Ramona II may be just around the corner.
Finally, as the girls have pretty much filled out 7 of the eight frames, we added the 2nd Evil Ex Super to the hive.
Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas 
Just got why you named your queen Ramona! Love the super designs, did you do them yourself? I haven’t read the comics but I loved the film.
Did the supersedure cell have a larvae in it or could it just be a play cup? Can’t really see from the angle of the pic. If you’re worried about the hive getting too full for Ramona to lay you could add a second brood box on top below the supers.
My wife and her friend did the artwork on the supers. I’d also highly recommend the comics as the movie could not include all the various plot lines in the books.
Good news indeed, love the hive art work as well. See ya Gary