Grafting mystery

Chris B · Apr 22, 2011

I just checked the cell frame we grafted into 8 days ago. Of the 20 plastic cups, 9 are now empty, and 10 have nice ripe looking queen cells which I plan to distribute on Sunday. But 1 cell is a bit of a mystery - it's a nice looking queen cell with royal jelly and a larva no more than 2 days old in it. The cell building colony is a queenright treble broodbox Langstroth. Cell frame in top layer with no brood younger than 8 days. Queen in bottom layer and queen excluders between each layer.

What's going on? Have I got self-grafting bees?

Tim1606 · Apr 22, 2011

Chris B said:
What's going on? Have I got self-grafting bees?

If you have can i buy some?

Headnavigator · Apr 22, 2011

Worker moved egg? Has been known, apparently.

RoofTops · Apr 22, 2011

I believe it is accepted bees move eggs from time to time, so it is possible one took an egg from below the QX and deposited it in the queen cell.

Poly Hive · Apr 22, 2011

Well well. I know it has been reported every so often but I have never heard of it happening during queen rearing. The bees are aye teaching us, if we are willing to learn of course.

PH

Chris B · Apr 22, 2011

That's my guess too. But into a plastic queen cell is a surprise. I can only think the original graft was accepted but later rejected after the cell walls had been built.