Emergency Queen Cell question

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maybe you are using too robust a paper
Two sheets of the Westmorland Gazzette under a QX do me.

I steer well clear of rags like the daily mail, it's bad enough that the human population has to endure it.

 

[Courty]

Did the split this evening with Q- on top of Q+.
I couldn’t find any newspaper, the Boss apparently used my stash of freeposts to package eBay sales so I asked the neighbour who kindly donated some pages from The Sun that she had used to separate Christmas cakes......
Anyway, the unite has been made and the wafts of various spices worked as well as the smoker I chose not to use.
I used two layers with small puncture holes with scissors, it worked perfectly well last time.
So, 13 months on from my first nuc I now head towards wings with three hives.
I wonder what next year will bring?

Courty

 

[beeno]

Maybe you are using too robust a paper
Two sheets of the Westmorland Gazzette under a QX do me.

FT usually.

 

[Nunez100]

I’m a little late into this thread, but if you want an answer to your original question, apparently they are quite choosey about which larvae they form queen cells from. They will create queen cells over a 3-4 day period, and will make a number of queen cells that is defined as the peak queencell number (PQN) for that colony. It is different (but relatively constant each time) for each colony. They prefer to use a larvae that is 5 days from egg stage or younger, so they will find larvae of the right age each day of that 3-4 day period. Towards the end of the time, if no larvae are available of the exact correct age, but they still haven’t made it to their PQN, they will start converting less suitable larvae (older) into queen cells. These will have them have been fed less royal jelly than is ideal. This is thought by some to be the reason why emergency queen cells are sometimes thought of as giving rise to poorer quality queens (because not all the source larvae were ideal). The best emergency queen cells are the first ‘wave’. You can read about it at this link: http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/emergencycells.html


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

FT usually.

we've finally found a use for it

 

[Courty]

I’m a little late into this thread

Glad you showed up though, thank you.
Next year I will look at intervening when the cells are capped and improving my chances of keeping a newly mated queen or queens as opposed to a rapidly emptying hive.

Courty

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m not so sure of this first wave of EQCs being the best though?
I’ve noticed when I’ve had to use frames of brood containing eggs and young larvae to make a nuc up for a new queen that some EQCs are capped two days later so they must have been made on 3 day larvae ( 6 days from laying)
Anybody else notice this?

 

[Swarm]

I’m not so sure of this first wave of EQCs being the best though?
I’ve noticed when I’ve had to use frames of brood containing eggs and young larvae to make a nuc up for a new queen that some EQCs are capped two days later so they must have been made on 3 day larvae ( 6 days from laying)
Anybody else notice this?

Yes, often. As we know, bees aren't stupid and they sort themselves out quite well without our interference. I've taken queens away to a nuc and left the colony to requeen themselves and had some lovely new queens. I have one beauty who has matched her mother so I'm really happy with her

 

[pargyle]

Did the split this evening with Q- on top of Q+.
I couldn’t find any newspaper, the Boss apparently used my stash of freeposts to package eBay sales so I asked the neighbour who kindly donated some pages from The Sun that she had used to separate Christmas cakes......
Anyway, the unite has been made and the wafts of various spices worked as well as the smoker I chose not to use.
I used two layers with small puncture holes with scissors, it worked perfectly well last time.
So, 13 months on from my first nuc I now head towards wings with three hives.
I wonder what next year will bring?

Courty

Be careful what you wish for .... the bees read this forum and they are LISTENING ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, often. As we know, bees aren't stupid and they sort themselves out quite well without our interference. I've taken queens away to a nuc and left the colony to requeen themselves and had some lovely new queens. I have one beauty who has matched her mother so I'm really happy with her

According to Wally Shaw bees won’t swarm on EQCs. I’ve never had the nerve to try not interfering. Perhaps I should.

 

[Swarm]

I've never thinned them down

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

According to Wally Shaw bees won’t swarm on EQCs. I’ve never had the nerve to try not interfering. Perhaps I should.

I must say that I seldom thin out QC's in a nuc. Only in a full size colony.

 

[Antipodes]

According to Wally Shaw bees won’t swarm on EQCs. I’ve never had the nerve to try not interfering. Perhaps I should.

In my experience so far my bees always swarm with emergency queen cells in a split if I don't remove all but one.

I follow your lead and your previous advice and thin them down. This year I'll go in on the 5th day and get rid of all of the queen cells bar an open one with a nice grub and jelly in it.

 

[Swarm]

According to Wally Shaw bees won’t swarm on EQCs. I’ve never had the nerve to try not interfering. Perhaps I should.

I work on the principle of removing their queen before swarm preparation, they create cells to replace a missing queen. I find the brood break generally subdues the instinct to swarm and you still have the original queen tucked away just in case.
I've mentioned before my friend in Bulgaria using this exclusively as his approach to swarm control.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I work on the principle of removing their queen before swarm preparation, they create cells to replace a missing queen. I find the brood break generally subdues the instinct to swarm and you still have the original queen tucked away just in case.
I've mentioned before my friend in Bulgaria using this exclusively as his approach to swarm control.

It’s getting that perfect time before the perfect storm, though. Isn’t it
I suppose it’s like preparing a Demaree, getting that most opportune time