Help for newbee please

[Debs]

I made a stupid mistake, forgot to put the queen excluder back on under the crown board and feeder. The centre cup of the rapid feeder wasn't down properly.
There were several dead and dopey bees in the feeder one I think was the queen. I brought her indoors for a closer look and she revived a bit so I put her back in the hive.
Haven't had any eggs anyway for the last two weeks of Apiguard treatment so I'm waiting to see what happens.
She was smaller than I'd have thought but definately a longer, pointier body. I've never found the queen in the hive and nor could the SBI when he inspected, so not seen her before.



If the weather's not too awful I'm going to look tomorrow and see if there's any eggs.

 

[kazmcc]

I'm new to bee keeping, and may be mistaken, but I don't think you are supposed to put the QE on underneath the crown board. You put it between the brood box and the super, if you want to use the super for honey.

Also, I thought the queen was fed by other bees. Others will be along soon to advise you.

PS That's a sticky looking queen if ever I saw one. I hope she recovers.

 

[MuswellMetro]

re you sure it is not a drone

 

[Debs]

Not sure about anything at the moment.
Looked pointier than the drones I'd seen earlier in the year.
Their in a langstroth on brood and a half.
I've taken off the honey super, treated with apiguard, finished 12th Sept and started feeding.
There's been no eggs since end of August which I put down to apiguard teatment.

Thought I was doing OK till now,

 

[Dishmop]

Muswell, my drones aint that big in comparison to his sisters..... You supplied yours with weight lifting equipment and testosterone?

Would have thought that the queen would have been cleaned up by the workers.

 

[Debs]

That's what I'm hoping too.

If she'd just stopped laying because of the apiguard how long would it usually be before she restarts ( probably a how long is a piece of string question but any idea from experience.)

Their taking the syrup well and don't seem to have changed behaviour at all.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Muswell, my drones aint that big in comparison to his sisters..... You supplied yours with weight lifting equipment and testosterone?

think it is just the camera angle rather a "does my bum look big in this" photo

 

[Dishmop]

"does my bum look big in this"

You should keep that picture and give it that heading... Worthy of entry into a photo competition....

 

[kazmcc]

I thought drones had the eyes that bulged and met in the middle. Also, drones wings are as long as their bodies, whereas the queen has wings on half as long. Maybe I am mistaken.....it has been known lol. Not often though

 

[thurrock bees]

that does look like a queen to me, there was a thread by poly i think, offering free queens, might pay to get one just in case? it will get you though winter.

 

[Silly Bee]

I'm not convinced its the queen. Looks more like a drone.

The queen is usually waited on, I'd be surprised to find her in my feeder.

 

[Rosti]

The queen is usually waited on, I'd be surprised to find her in my feeder.

Late August (2010) I helped a friend out with regard finding and marking a new queen. There was no QE fitted and a small rapid being used to cover a break in the flow. No sign of HM. As we closed up I checked the (now disgarded) feeder (don't know why) and sure enough she was in there on her own. It can happen. She was returned to a frame, crown of thornes applied and duly marked. A lucky escape.

 

[Silly Bee]

Ok, I'll be more careful, just in case.

 

[kazmcc]

A few questions

Don't the queens have the little wings reaching half way down the body, whereas workers and drones wings reach the end of the body?

I thought the queen got fed by other bees, not directly herself. Is this not so?

 

[Debs]

She was definately longer and pointier than the workers and less stripey, and didn't look like the drones I'd seen earlier in the year.
I didn't think the queen should go in the feeder but that's where I found her.

I'll look as soon as the weather allows but doesn't look like it's going to clear up today either.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[johnfly]

where in mid-wales are you?

 

[Hebeegeebee]

It COULD be a queen - what's that coming out at the back - an egg?
Drones don't usually go into feeders either.

I had a queen that got into a feeder in a nuc, silly girl. I noticed when I took the feeder off and saw her there - dead. She must still have been putting out some pheromone for a while as the bees had not considered making queencells.


In my exerience a queen goes off lay for a few days - up to a week but some don't care at all and keep laying..

 

[freethorpe bees]

In my humblest of opinions I reckon that is a queen. My drones are sort of 'chunkier' than that.

Keep your chin up Debs - it's my fist year too - very daunting to start with. I have had one or two 'hiccups' and wondered if beekeeping was really right for me. OK now though (well, at the moment anyway!).

Good luck

FB

 

[kazmcc]

Look at the eyes and the wings. What was she laying like? Could it be a queen developed from a late worker larva? It's hard to tell her size without anything to judge by.

 

[Debs]

Well,I couldn't inspect today as weather was yuck most of the day.
It did brighten a bit this afternoon but still too windy, the bees were foraging and bringing in pollen and from the outside everything appearred normal.

Also got had a return call from the SBI and email from local assoc. member so not feeling quite so alone in the problem,
time will tell, fingers crossed.
thanks everyone,I'll keep you updated.

PS. Are badgers a problem around hives. There's a not very healthy looking young one behind some scrap in the pole barn tonight.