Hhhelp Pros.

[beeno]

Just thought a take a quick look at my nuc to make sure HM was not a drone layer. I inspected 4 days ago and saw larvae (not capable of saying how old they were). Guess what? Sealed QC and HM still there. Eggs seen. She is not a drone layer. What to do.

 

[psafloyd]

Just thought a take a quick look at my nuc to make sure HM was not a drone layer. I inspected 4 days ago and saw larvae (not capable of saying how old they were). Guess what? Sealed QC and HM still there. Eggs seen. She is not a drone layer. What to do.

How do you know she is not a drone layer?

And where are you in the south east? Change your profile to reflect as it is often helpful for people on the site.

 

[MandF]

Is the nuc a captured swarm?

Is the QC on the side of a frame? Ie a supercedure cell?

 

[sputnam]

Leave it alone. Probably supercedure, thought there's no way to be sure that it's not a swarm cell.

Safest thing is to leave the bees to get on with it.

 

[beeno]

Hi all,
I have got capped worker brood thereof the assumption she is not a drone layer, but early days. It is only one cell in middle of frame built out from worker cell which makes it a supercedure cell I believe. Very small. However, having had time to think it must have been made from old larva which makes it a poor supercedure anyhow? Newly laid eggs spotted and HM with attendants in circle around her. Nuc bees from trap out and eggs donated from prime swarm earlier in the year. Not enough bees to be viable swarm but I guess that does not stop them. The question is should it stay or should it go? Will she stay or will she go?

 

[alanf]

Hi all,
I have got capped worker brood thereof the assumption she is not a drone layer, but early days. It is only one cell in middle of frame built out from worker cell which makes it a supercedure cell I believe. Very small. However, having had time to think it must have been made from old larva which makes it a poor supercedure anyhow? Newly laid eggs spotted and HM with attendants in circle around her.

I have what I think is a similar nuc. It was made up to take a ripe QC (from a graft) earlier in the season. She mated in a brief weather window and started laying. Early patterns were scattered but I left the nuc to see if experience helped.

Last inspection, despite BIAS and some improvement in the pattern over the month that has elapsed they were not expanding as fast as her sister's colony. And there was what looked like just one supercedure cell. I can only guess that the earlier mating was less than perfect and that has been their main problem. Cell size looks about normal and it's the queen line I want so current plan is to let them get on with it. With luck she will emerge early next week, just as we enter a period of perfect mating weather )) There are plenty of drones about so we'll see how the weather goes and how she's doing by the end of the month before deciding the combination permutations for winter.