Larva in Play Cup?

[Tiro Turbidus]

Please excuse me if this is a rank beginner's question, but I need to know anyway. I have a colony and a queen which are new this year. The colony is developing strongly and appears entirely healthy - not even varroa (so far). The queen is present and there is BIAS and capped and uncapped honey in the brood box. The hive is a National and the brood box is filling up, but the outer two frames are not drawn yet and there are hatched cells to be reused, so there appears to be plenty brood space. There is one super on, which has drawn comb on four of its eleven frames and a very little uncapped honey in the centre. As far as I can tell then, all is well. On my last inspection, about a week ago, I removed two 'play cups'. On today's inspection, I found another two 'play cups' (or what I think are 'play cups') but one of them has a well-developed larva in it - which is not sitting in a soup of royal jelly. The queen is generally laying (not too many) drone cells along the bottom of the frame, which is where this play cup is, but it definitely looks like a play cup. I haven't removed it yet (at that point I hadn't seen the queen). After all that preamble, my question is: should I be worried? And, if so, what should I do about it? All fifty observations and suggestions welcome. Thanks.

 

[beeno]

It would appear to me that you are not confident whether it is a drone cell or a queen cell. If you have eggs in the hive remove it and be done.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Please excuse me if this is a rank beginner's question, but I need to know anyway. I have a colony and a queen which are new this year. The colony is developing strongly and appears entirely healthy - not even varroa (so far). The queen is present and there is BIAS and capped and uncapped honey in the brood box. The hive is a National and the brood box is filling up, but the outer two frames are not drawn yet and there are hatched cells to be reused, so there appears to be plenty brood space. There is one super on, which has drawn comb on four of its eleven frames and a very little uncapped honey in the centre. As far as I can tell then, all is well. On my last inspection, about a week ago, I removed two 'play cups'. On today's inspection, I found another two 'play cups' (or what I think are 'play cups') but one of them has a well-developed larva in it - which is not sitting in a soup of royal jelly. The queen is generally laying (not too many) drone cells along the bottom of the frame, which is where this play cup is, but it definitely looks like a play cup. I haven't removed it yet (at that point I hadn't seen the queen). After all that preamble, my question is: should I be worried? And, if so, what should I do about it? All fifty observations and suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Probably drone. Picture would be useful. Not a good idea to have that super on if all your brood frames are not drawn. Put those frames toward the centre one space ( providing you are not isolating a frame of brood. Take the super off and let the bees concentrate on the brood box which is where they need their winter stores.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Any question is a good question!

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Where in the US ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hey pal, I am guessing you are asking where I am located in the US? I am located in Alabama.

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Yes thanks. That’s exactly what I meant

 

[jeff33]

Agreed with Erica, I would remove the super, it is not needed. Bees tend not to draw outer frames so move them towards the centre. Perhaps just 1 to start off but that would depend on the strength of the hive.
As for the loaded cell, your guess is as good as ours until we see it.

 

[MartinL]

. . . . Picture would be useful. .

 

[Tiro Turbidus]

Working on it

Thanks all for the advice; I'm here to learn. I'll disturb them again tomorrow and take a camera this time. And you're right beeno, I wasn't sure. I take the point, Erichalfbee, about whether a super is necessary when the brood box is not entirely full. The idea was to create space as the brood box approached full and I suppose it's a matter of how full is 'full'. I'll reassess tomorrow. At worst I have some half-drawn super foundation to use later.

 

[oliver90owner]

Looks like posts have already been removed?

Lets have some more information of the history of this colony before jumping to wrong conclusions. How produced, how many brood cycles, origin of queen, etc.

First it is clearly not that strong - only nine fames drawn and some is honey. Possibly only seven, if the OP means outer 2 frames on each side.

It has been warm (enough) in the south to add an unnecessary super, but that may not be the same for Scotland. I might even be surprised that such a small colony is making drone cells at this stage, unless they (the workers) were considering queen change.

As for breaking down cells or removing larvae - a waste of time and effort. The bees want them and will replace them, or take more drastic actions. The beekeeper needs to learn that they can gently steer a colony in their desired direction. Only lesser keepers of bees think that simply thwarting the bees’ desires will stop them in their tracks. It may buy a little time, but is a risky game to play.

 

[Tiro Turbidus]

Photoshoot

Photos attached, as suggested. Re the history, oliver90owner: this colony is one of two obtained as nuclei from a local supplier in June this year with a queen mated this year. As elsewhere in the UK, it’s been scorching up here for weeks on end. Yes, the colony is relatively weak (It’s partner next door has always been stronger and more active and now has a full brood box, a full super and a second super on.) On the weaker colony (the one with the troublesome cell) it is only two brood frames, in total, that are not drawn - the outer frame on each side. During the photoshoot, I took the opportunity to do as Erichalfbee and Jeff33 suggested and moved the undrawn frames inwards by one space. In the photo, the cells that I was troubled about look a little less ‘queen cuppy’ than I remembered from yesterday – perhaps only charged only drone cells after all? Nevertheless, I have pinched them out - just in case.

 

[Beefriendly]

Drones....nowt to worry about.
Spend a bit of time googling queen cells and looking at images.
A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Drones coming out now must feel a little hard done by. They could have been swanning around all summer, eating, flying around, bonking (once) and generally living the life of Riley but coming out now...

...a few weeks of leisure and you're out on your arse pal. Bummer.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Drone brood for shore . It's definitely worth looking at pics,videos ect of drone brood sometimes the drone cells are that big they can easily be mistaken for QC s .
Very good brood pattern on that first frame though
I watched drones being rid like a horse yesterday by workers they are only two weeks old , poor bugger's getting kicked out after such a short time .

 

[Erichalfbee]

Drones

 

[Tiro Turbidus]

Demolition?

Thanks. As most are agreed, probably drone cell. Having looked further at those photos, one thing that occurred to me is that these were charged queen cups but the workers are chewing the cell away, tearing them down (until I came along and did it for them). Which would be why they looked less 'queen cuppy' the next day. Despite the two undrawn frames in the brood box, it may be that putting on the super relieved some perceive space pressure - or maybe they'd just made a mistake. Possible?

 

[Tiro Turbidus]

Yup, Beefriendly, too true. These fell into a sort of grey area (in my head at any rate)

 

[Finman]

No mistakes. They are normal looking drone brood.

 

[Tiro Turbidus]

Ta, Finman. Can you tell me what is happening with those drone cells in the photo? Are the workers in the process of capping them? Since I pinched the cells out, it's too late for me to see the outcome.

 

[Finman]

Ta, Finman. Can you tell me what is happening with those drone cells in the photo? Are the workers in the process of capping them? Since I pinched the cells out, it's too late for me to see the outcome.

No, I can't.

 

[Eyeman]

Your are right they are a couple of drone cells. Nothing to worry about
By the way that frame has a good brood pattern.
Hope you do well.