apideas/nuc/emer q cells - what?????

[burren]

Hi all
(please be kind as I am still new at this!)
I am going to shorten this down as laptop just closed down/crashed on me earlier when typing this,so had to start again, so going to try to keep it real short this time.
Today on checking the apidea that I had seen eggs in on fri 2nd july and had put over the opening in the crown board on a nuc on monday late ( and covered with a roof and made sure that no gaps or draughts) (the bottom of the apidea had been slid open to allow bees to hopefully go down), I could not tip them in as the comb was very fragile) yes I now it is not the best way to go about this but they seemed to be running out of space v fast and no I didnt have an extensions for the apidea...
Anyway today on checking a good few bees have gone now and are drawing the foundation and storing pollen/nectar etc ( yes had put some stores/pollen and drawn foundation into the nuc previously). No eggs on frames in the nuc yet as I am sure they were too comfortable up in the apidea. On the comb in the apidea there were eggs and for the first time larvae and I "think" a couple of sealed brood ( looks different to sealed brood in hive as "their" comb is sooo white! Anyway what was a little confusing is that there looked to be a sealed emergency queen cell ( small and stubby rough looking and quite dark) different looking to the longer sealed queen cells that I had previous put into two apideas ( yes this is one of them) Both queens were mated phew. What do you think? Was in a emer q cell? Is there something wrong with their present q ( who I havent managed to actually see)? Any advise greatfully received. thanks

 

[burren]

HI all
Can no one (anyone) help me?????
pretty please!!!!

 

[garethbryson]

PASS!!!

 

[Firegazer]

Burren,
I'm afraid I can't tell you - sorry.

Is it possible to get a photo of the possible emergency queen cell and paste it up for more experienced beeks to see?

Also, they react better if you give them a timeline of what happened when in a concise and clear way, then ask them a simple question. Make it as easy as possible for them, and use as many photos or video as possible.

Here is a photo of this odd shaped cell - do you think it is an emergency queen cell?

I did this on day 2, that on day 14, this is what the comb looked like on day 18. On day 23 I saw this, do you think I should worry about it?

Just my thoughts, from a newbie.

FG

 

[susbees]

If it's stubby and pointing in the same direction as the sealed worker brood then it's likely a drone cell.

And sorry, I found your post befuddling too. KISS is our rule on here...it's the busy time of year and many posts need a crystal ball without simple what I did/photos as Firegazer said. Beekeeping is a practical art after all.

 

[burren]

short and concise

hi Firegazer, susbees and (garethbryson!), no seriously thanks for the replies. You are right it should be much more concise! In my trying to give relevant details I just gave too many detailsl!!!. I supose the question is.......


Why would there be an" emergency q cell" (If that is what it is ) sealed on an apidea frame on 7th july.
eggs and larvae seen on frame on 7th
eggs had been seen 2nd july.

qc had been put in apidea on 14th june and did not want to disturb them so left checking until 2nd july, Has my previous q gone? (eggs though?) when did she go? thanks

 

[Poly Hive]

Might they have swarmed?

Might you have killed the queen?

Might they be drone cells?

You seem unsure as to what is what to be honest so I am a bit stuck as to how to assist here.

It is unusual for beginners to be using mini nucs as they are a bit tricky at times.

PH

 

[susbees]

So, I'll get back to is it a drone cell? Checked a nuc (large one with plenty space) today and there was one lone grub in one lone cell very much looking like a single drone cell. And only the one. No sign of it pointing down at all. Is yours like that?

 

[burren]

Hi susbees, thanks for coming back. I quote,"Anyway what was a little confusing is that there looked to be a sealed emergency queen cell ( small and stubby rough looking and quite dark) different looking to the longer sealed queen cells that I had previous put into two apideas." Now this was lying horizontal under the comb on the bottom of one of the apidea frame . Too big for drone I fear.

 

[susbees]

Hmm...on the queen raising course I did I was dispatched to check on six polynucs (Keiler sized so twice the size of apideas...I now use these myself). One of these had a QC bang in the middle of the comb. It is probably fair to say that the bees know best and either the queen doesn't meet their spec or they were hot/overcrowded/both and decided to build anything they could and then leg it (swarm)...hence cramming it in horizontal.

I would have nipped it off and checked to see what was inside...entombed worker/larva/dead queen.

Anyhow, keep a look out for QCs in the nuc...

 

[match]

Don't know if it helps, but in 2 of my nucs we had a queen hatch and mate, lay a few dozen eggs then stop. The bees subsequently built an emergency queen cell in each, only for the queen to start laying a week or 2 later and the queen cells to be torn down (I marked one of these queens when I first saw eggs, and she's still there and laying fantastically).

Perhaps something strange to do with the weather this year?

(Of course, this might be unrelated to your problem!)