Non returning Queen again!

[Tomo]

Hi all, I did an AS and left the Q- section alone with one sealed Queen cell for the usual 3 weeks. Checked tonight expecting to see eggs or larvae. Instead I found the empty QC which had the emergence hole (now somewhat old), no sign of a Queen, but also two large emergency QC's. I assume these were from eggs laid by workers as there would not have been eggs or larvae to make a QC from? I broke these two cells down and added a frame of eggs and very young larvae. This is the 3rd year in a row that this has happened to a hive in the same position. I could understand if it was a oneoff, but this seems odd. Has this happened to you? why would the queen get lost again? or do you leave two sealed qcs? I have ordered a couple of good queens so lets see what they do.......thanks for your interest.

 

[Hivemaker.]

This is the 3rd year in a row that this has happened to a hive in the same position. I could understand if it was a oneoff, but this seems odd. Has this happened to you?

Never trust a virgin in anything other than a small mating nuc at this time of year, remove all cells and introduce a clipped mated queen.

 

[oliver90owner]

Hang on a mo! Have they drawn emergency queen cells on the test frame?

Could be good way to lose these 'good' queens.....

What good, in the supposed scenario, would leaving two sealed queen cells achieve? That's right -absolutely nothing.

Your first mistake was leaving a sealed queen cell. Another is assuming the queen is lost (let's hear whether emergency cells were drawn, first). Your next may well be introducing either or both these 'good' queens.

 

[mbc]

As to how queens get lost, swallows, swifts and martins, bluetits and even dragonflies may get a few.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi all, I did an AS and left the Q- section alone with one sealed Queen cell for the usual 3 weeks.

I think maybe you need to sprinkle a dash of realism into the mix - still plenty of time for that first emerged queen to mate. did you check to see whether the two cells you took down had viable contents?

 

[Eyeman]

I assume these were from eggs laid by workers as there would not have been eggs or larvae to make a QC from

Is there some brood still present?
I've not seen laying workers this early and if you had laying workers you should get QC but signs of multiple eggs in a random fashion with some stuck to the sides of the cells.
Let us know what the test frame shows?

 

[Tomo]

RAB, I have only just put in a test frame. There appeared to be two emergency qcs but as I said I dont know what these were as there was no material there for them to work with, they looked as though they were made on drone, therefore, I broke them down and introduced a test frame. Why is leaving one sealed qc a mistake after an AS?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You should always attempt to select an open cell so you can look in and see a plump healthy larva in there. Then you should take all the others down

 

[BeeJayBee]

Why is leaving one sealed qc a mistake after an AS?

How do you know what's inside a sealed queen cell?

 

[Erichalfbee]

People have been reporting.....another thread, recently .....QCs with nothing but royal jelly inside

 

[oliver90owner]

You seem to not have thought about the relevance to your thread. Leaving two cells will have no effect whatsoever on whether a queen is lost on a mating flight. You had already stated a queen had emerged (open cap, not a torn down cell). Secondly, and more importantly, in this scenario there will only be one queen present anyway!

On another point, what is the idea of posting that the queen is lost before you have even checked the test frame? Assuming and guessing is neither useful nor clever when simple facts are so easy to come by.

As for buying in queens to replace an assumed lost queen is both wasteful in money and queens. New beeks reading this should be astounded at the naivety of some beeks that have been posting on the forum for the last 5 years.

 

[Finman]

.
I look every week, is the queen OK. Last summer I lost abnormally much virgins from hives, because weathers were very rainy. Perhaps rain shower hit them down.

I do not leave any hive alone 3 weeks in summer.
.