Is this a queen cell, what should I do.

[Orpheus64]

I'm a new beekeeper, I worked with a mentor last year and attended a course throughout the winter. I received my first colony via a shook swarm 3 weeks ago. I noticed at the time that there was very little brood in the donor colony. Now three weeks on there is drawn comb, stores of nectar and pollen but I've not seen any eggs. Howeever when I inspected them on Wednesday I found what appears to be a lone queen cell. Normally this would be a good thing, but I'm confused becaue the timings do not add up. I did not see any queen cups on the previous saturday, I don't know how you can have nothing on one day and a sealed quenn cell 4 days later? I've included a picture (attached). There are no other eggs that I can see on the frame. What should I do now? wait, requeen, in troduce a frame of eggs/brood?

 

[RoseCottage]

I am sure more experienced folk will be along in a minute but I would recommend a test frame which contains fresh eggs. If your timings are as you describe then you may be queenless and a worker may have been converted...so producing something that will prove fruitless.

If you can place a test frame in you benefit because:

No queen cells made you are likely queen right...perhaps you could remove the queen cell in the photo in the first couple of days

New queen cells made, as PH says, keep the younger and remove the one in your photo. Grow your queen from an assured egg.

As I say better folk than I will appear shortly.

All the best,
Sam

 

[sahtlinurk]

do not destroy this queen cell. if you got no fresh eggs present then something has happened to your queen. and they need a new one.


Lauri

 

[gavin]

I'd add a frame of eggs (or a protected queen cell or a virgin begged from someone nearby) pronto. That cell doesn't look like a good one to me as it is too small and without enough surface patterning. Sometimes they will make a queen cell like that and there will be nothing in it, or perhaps a drone larva which might have come from an egg laid by a worker.

There ought to be folk in your area with queen cells to spare. Try asking the local association secretary or your mentor. Protecting it is always a wise move as if they 'think' that they have one of their own brewing they might not welcome a strange one. Just wrap aluminium foil around it leaving the tip exposed and fix it into place on a frame. A frame of eggs is slightly easier of course but a mature queen cell will get you there faster.

Hope that helps

Gavin

PS Nice photo!

 

[DanBee]

You need a frame of eggs and very young larvae as Sam has said. Talk to your mentor about this.

I would not trust that queen cell as there is no other brood in sight, indeed from your description it appeared 'overnight' with no other brood in the colony.

 

[Orpheus64]

Thanks for the responses so far. The queen is still present, shes a green queen, but compared to other queens I've seen she seems lethargic and the workers don't seem to pay much attention to her. I think they are trying to supercede her but if she is not laying eggs, then as someone has already replied, it could be that I've now got an egg laying workier and they are trying to grow that.

I'm seeing bee keeping friend this evening, I'll ask him if he has a frame of eggs to spare.