It's been two weeks since we installed nucs. You should really go in and take a good look at it.
I went into one this morning that had about three frames with capped brood but next to no eggs or larva. We found the queen walking around. The bees were paying no attention to her. The capped brood looked old and dark, about the same as when the nuc came. The colony wasn't really larger than at install. So we are going to order a new queen from Starr Farms. If you check today or tomorrow and believe you need a queen let me know. I'll place the order Sunday evening. It will save you on shipping.
I don't know if it's true or not, but I remember hearing that if the bees are not paying any attention to the queen, there is something wrong. They should be following her around, feeding her, cleaning her up. We'll need to remember to ask Carolyn Breece when she comes in May. Check it out for me. Are your bees adoring their queen or are they just moving out of the way?
In a second hive I looked at they had plenty of fresh looking brood, lots of eggs and larva and an absolutely beautiful queen. But there were three undrawn frames which they weren't really working at. It's important to be feeding 1:1 sugar water if you have undrawn frames. They'll go through more than a gallon a week.
If you think you have a problem colony, I'd be happy to come take a look at it. Email me directly (clairemoody503@gmail.com).