Need another brain!

[enrico]

Can someone help me work this out? Thanks
Put a queen in a nuc on 6th may and left one charged queen cell in hive
Today , 27th may, went through hive just as virgin was emerging from another queen cell. Original one uncapped and emerged. No sign of fresh eggs.
Even if the first queen cast on or around 16th may, where did the egg come from to make the virgin for today?
I know I am missing something obvious but just can't get my head round it!

 

[Wilco]

Second queen in hive a la JBM and subsequently swarmed?

 

[enrico]

Second queen in hive a la JBM and subsequently swarmed?

A second mated queen which I had never noticed and never seen any queen cells earlier in the year? So had two mated queen's since last year? Surely not! I agree that that must be the only answer but I can't believe it has happened!

 

[Wilco]

A second mated queen which I had never noticed and never seen any queen cells earlier in the year? So had two mated queen's since last year? Surely not! I agree that that must be the only answer but I can't believe it has happened!

Think that's what JBM reports, Autumn supercedure and both overwintering in the hive.

Other possibilities (possible even if not likely):

• Another VQ returned from a mating flight to the wrong hive then reswarmed. Seems a stretch.
• Fresh egg on day of split was made into QC ready to emerge on 22nd, has been kept penned up by workers until you distracted them at which point she made good her escape. Bit long by my reckoning.

 

[Murox]

I reckon you just either missed a tiny cell or the bees just built another one right after you thought you had left one obviously charged cell, eggs remain as eggs for 3 days – typically 16-23 days before a new queen lays her first egg. (maybe 25-32 days before those eggs are capped and old eyes can see proof of the queen laying!)

Queen cell gets capped more or less on the 8th day after it egg was laid. Virgin queen emerges on day 8 (the 16th day after the swarm queen laid this egg). Sexual maturity at about 6 days old - if the weather is favourable she flies to a drone congregation. That takes it to day 14 at the earliest (8+6 days). Might lay her first egg 2 days later – day 16.

If the weather was cool and wet and the virgin could not mate for a week; the date of laying her first egg could be day 23.

ps - bees will always make a fool out of you, bit like children and other animals

 

[Newbeeneil]

Think that's what JBM reports, Autumn supercedure and both overwintering in the hive.

Other possibilities (possible even if not likely):

• Another VQ returned from a mating flight to the wrong hive then reswarmed. Seems a stretch.
• Fresh egg on day of split was made into QC ready to emerge on 22nd, has been kept penned up by workers until you distracted them at which point she made good her escape. Bit long by my reckoning.

I'm betting on possibility 2. Bees will emerge late and be kept in their cells for days if it's deemed advantageous to the colony.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

sixteen days

A second mated queen which I had never noticed and never seen any queen cells earlier in the year? So had two mated queen's since last year? Surely not! I agree that that must be the only answer but I can't believe it has happened!

Think that's what JBM reports, Autumn supercedure and both overwintering in the hive

Had a few over the years, first inspection of the year the old queen is there, then next time she's gone and there's an unmarked queen - I've even had the old an new queen living happily in the same hive throughout a whole summer and at one time I had mother, daughter and granddaughter in the hive at the same time. I think Murray McGregor once had four or five queens living happily together.

 

[Swarm]

Sometimes I think it's best to just smile because they never fail to amaze