Double eggs in cells

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Nige.Coll

Drone Bee
Beekeeping Sponsor
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
1,778
Reaction score
602
Location
East Midlands
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
some + a few more
I've been trying to find out what's going on with the 2 poorly hives I have.
There is a low amount of bees in the hives and everytime I try and go to put them into a nucs it's too cold or it rains.

When I checked them there was a small patch of BIAS but close to that there were some cells with 2 eggs placed neatly at the bottom side by side. Not all the cells had 2 eggs in.
The queen was seen in both these hives and open brood and sealed worker brood present so it's not laying workers.
There was space to lay and they aren't really late queens so laying eggs isn't new to them.

I can only think of two possibilities.
1. she is desperate to expand the colony but will not lay where they cannot be kept warm.
2. She has somehow been effected by an illness and lost the plot.

would the workers move eggs around like this ?
I suppose I should be more concerned why the workers haven't removed one.
I haven't looked again but i'm half expecting to find them dead when I do.
Puzzled ...
Anyone got any ideas ?


forgot to say these queens are sisters. This problem is not happening in the parent hive, parent queen was great last year and layed walls of brood in the frames and they were nice bees which is why I used the queen cells.
 
Last edited:
thanks
Just need a nice day now and hopefully it will be ok.
 
Newly laying queens?
Sometimes I see this in mating nucs when the no longer virgin starts fireing up.

Leave them alone
They will come home
Wagging their tails behind them

Been sniffing the ozone!!

Yeghes da
 
Early eggs, she just hasn't quite got into the swing of things yet.....give her time.
E
 
Newly laying queens?
Sometimes I see this in mating nucs when the no longer virgin starts fireing up.

Leave them alone
They will come home
Wagging their tails behind them

Been sniffing the ozone!!

Yeghes da

I wouldn't be worried if it was a new queen doing this but the colony is now too small to keep the national hive warm enough.
Queen is from july 14 if memory serves me right.
 
I wouldn't be worried if it was a new queen doing this but the colony is now too small to keep the national hive warm enough.

The queen wants to lay but there are not enough bees, so she is laying eggs where she can, need smaller warmer box, and more bees shook in when possible.
 
dummy down to four or five frames, insulate the roof and feed by contact feeder or 1lb jar warm syrup in small amount but regulary

and as hivememaker said shake in bees when you can ( i would use bees from a super as soon as a flow starts)
 
It was too cold again when I got there tonight.
Bees still alive and no more dead bees on the floor.
I've put a poly nuc in the car if it's warm enough tomorrow I'll transfer them into that. Can't get there til tomorrow evening out all day.
The other hive will have to make do with a wooden nuc wrapped in bubble wrap.

The weather is all over the place atm.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top