Brood in super and brood box

[Belley]

Hi,

I still consider myself to be a novice when it comes to all things beekeeping related, even though I've had hives for 5 years now

I came across something today that has baffled me again in one of my hives - I appear to have brood in both a super and brood box, but they are all what I would identify as drone cells - fairly pronounced in their size, but a lot of them are uncapped? I've got a feeling of dread that it is some form of disease.

Strange things is the colony, albeit small in size look pretty healthy and I can see from other supers on the hive that there is a good flow of nectar. I didnt see a queen?

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos to post on here, but I'm planning to visit the apiary again today and will take some then.

Can anyone help with what I should be looking out for and any guide as to what it might be?

Thanks,

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is there worker brood?
Are there eggs?
When did you last look in?
How small is small?
What is the history of this colony?

 

[Belley]

Is there worker brood?
Are there eggs?
When did you last look in?
How small is small?
What is the history of this colony?

Thanks for the reply.

Not really no.
I cant see any eggs
Apart from yesterday, it was the previous weekend.
Maybe a couple thousand at most

This colony swarmed earlier on in the year, but I managed to capture it and move it to another hive, so they have been very active. There were two very big and good queen cells left behind so I let them do their thing. Its always been one if my strongest colonies - I have four.

 

[Finman]

.
I bet that you have an unmated queen in the super. I could not Make mating flights without entrance.

Worker layers are impossible.

 

[Belley]

.
I bet that you have an unmated queen in the super. I could not Make mating flights without entrance.

Worker layers are impossible.

Thanks for the reply.

Why would there be brood (drone) in the brood box then?

 

[Murox]

Dont know if you use a queen excluder but virgin queens can get through

 

[Belley]

Dont know if you use a queen excluder but virgin queens can get through

Hi,

Yes I do, and realise virgin queens can still get through. So I am thinking she has laid in brood box, got through to Super and now cant get back??

 

[eltalia]

[Deleted]...
as OP is not posting true and proper account.

Bill

 

[Hivemaker.]

Laying workers... and virgin queens cannot normally get through a queen excluder.

 

[Finman]

Laying workers' brood and laying queen are not in same hive. Not at least in theory.

I .bet that there is an unmated queen which did not have entrance to do mating flights

 

[Erichalfbee]

Virgin queens do not get through an excluder. The thorax remains the same and that is the barrier.
You left two cells?
Did you go back a few days later to take others down? The bees would make more if there was the raw material.
I bet they swarmed and swarmed and now you have laying workers.
You say you looked in last week. What was there?
They are doomed.
Shake them out.

 

[Belley]

Photos

Here are some photos to hopefully explain better what I am seeing in the hive:

 

[Belley]

Photos

<iframe width="850" height="478" src="https://myalbum.com/embed/KAtgyaE7ibu7" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Erichalfbee]

Laying workers
one of the shots has cells with multiple eggs
Your link doesn’t work
Try this
https://myalbum.com/album/KAtgyaE7ibu7

 

[Belley]

Thanks for that and your advice.

If introduce a new queen do think that would solve the issue?

 

[thedozzer]

Laying workers
one of the shots has cells with multiple eggs
Your link doesn’t work
Try this
https://myalbum.com/album/KAtgyaE7ibu7

Hi Erica
in the same pics there are some single eggs, in the centre of the cell so could it be a virgin queen taking time to sort her laying out? as from most of the books only queens can lay in the centre of the cell, the workers lay slightly on the side?
we had roughly the same and it was a queen slow to get going.

 

[Belley]

Hi Erica
in the same pics there are some single eggs, in the centre of the cell so could it be a virgin queen taking time to sort her laying out? as from most of the books only queens can lay in the centre of the cell, the workers lay slightly on the side?
we had roughly the same and it was a queen slow to get going.

I did see some of workers what looked like them laying in the open cells?

 

[thedozzer]

I did see some of workers what looked like them laying in the open cells?

If it is laying workers, from what very little experience i have, my understanding is that you would need to put a few test frames of brood in, for the brood pheromone to suppress the worker ovaries! and from some of the older threads its common to take a few weeks of test frames.

hopefully a more experienced Beek will give more comprehensive advice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for that and your advice.

If introduce a new queen do think that would solve the issue?

No they will kill her.
Shake them out

 

[Belley]

No they will kill her.
Shake them out

Sorry, what do you mean shake them out? Wont they just fly back in?