double egg per cell colony

[Cuckmere couple]

i collected a small swarm last season (May/June time) with a queen that was laying already (saw eggs the following day)

some of you may remember that there were some cells with more than one egg in them....i only saw cells with two but no more than 2) and i wondered if there was a laying worker as well as a Q

i left it to see what would happen and all through the summer it continued to be stable and advice on here was if its queenright, leave it and see which i did.

Before and after apiguard treatment there were still cells with 2 eggs in...there have been no Q cells at all so no signs of supersedure (which i had expected had it been a duff queen) and the cells with double eggs did not become drones so they must have been from the q and the workers removed any additional eggs before nursing and capping

that colony is now very busy and bringing in a lot of pollen.

I am intrigued to see what i find when i inspect and will update you.

in my mind it was either
1. a queen which was laying oddly and tolerated and not superceded
2. a laying worker alongside a queen, which will no longer be there as it would have died off.

 

[Finman]

The abdomen does not work properly.
Change the queen.

What I have seen, bees remove extra larva about egg temoving I do not know.

 

[Finman]

Couple of years ago one queen layed oddly. When Started to squeeze it, I noticed that its front leg was rigid. Perhaps it had got poison from workers sting when introducing. I have seen too claws away from a leg, antenna rigid and so on.

 

[pargyle]

When you inspect it will either be right as rain or there will be a problem ... nothing you can do worrying a about it now. See what's there when you do your first inspection.

It may just have been the new queen getting into her stride with egg laying - it happens - the bees know best, if they were not happy with her then they would have superceded. I suspect you will find a normal laying pattern and single eggs in the cells...

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks Pargyle and Finman

yes, we were expecting it to be getting into her stride early summer last year but still happening when closed up.....thats why im tee'ing up the conversation a week or so away from the 'great reveal'

she laid at a good rate and as i say, already v busy colony so intrigued to see what i find