number of days to seal a q cell

[Cuckmere couple]

hi all

im trying to figure out for how long i need to knock down additional q cells once i have selected one

if i removed q on 2nd May, then destroyed q cells except for one on 6th of May, do i need to check again today on the 9th of May

i may be being a bit thick but this is 7 days after the q left...so, is it impossible for them to be able to create a q cell from an older larvae

obviously i want to go in as little as possible but i have been surprised seeing q cells capped in a much shorter time than expected meaning they must be able to pick older larvae and develop q cells

simplification much appreciated

 

[pargyle]

hi all

im trying to figure out for how long i need to knock down additional q cells once i have selected one

if i removed q on 2nd May, then destroyed q cells except for one on 6th of May, do i need to check again today on the 9th of May

i may be being a bit thick but this is 7 days after the q left...so, is it impossible for them to be able to create a q cell from an older larvae

obviously i want to go in as little as possible but i have been surprised seeing q cells capped in a much shorter time than expected meaning they must be able to pick older larvae and develop q cells

simplification much appreciated

Well .. the cells are not normally capped until 9th day so, theoretically, if you knocked down all the cells bar one on day 4 they would have 5 days left to feed up a larvae with royal jelly but it's going to be a scrub queen and the one you have left (assuming she is viable) will despatch any remaining queens whilst they are still in the cells - which they would be .. so I'd let them get on with it.

Presumably you have split a hive in order to make increase and what you are hoping is that they will raise a new queen.

To be honest - I tend to leave a couple of queen cells rather than just one as there's always a slight risk that the one you have selected is a duff... why do you think the bees nearly always make more than one queen ? - Except when they are superceding (and even then they sometimes make more than one !).

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks

no, it was because there were swarm cells so i removed the queen to a nuc and this is about the q cells left in the colony

 

[Swarm]

Go back in, the cell you left is on a marked frame? Shake the bees off every other comb and make sure there are none that you missed, much easier minus bees. When happy the rest are clear, put back together and leave them alone for a month before checking for eggs.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks Swarm

i guess my main question is, when is the last time i need to do that and safely leave ie how many days after removing the queen?

 

[pargyle]

thanks

no, it was because there were swarm cells so i removed the queen to a nuc and this is about the q cells left in the colony

Well ... as I said

... the cells are not normally capped until 9th day so, theoretically, if you knocked down all the cells bar one on day 4 they would have 5 days left to feed up a larvae with royal jelly but it's going to be a scrub queen and the one you have left (assuming she is viable) will despatch any remaining queens whilst they are still in the cells - which they would be .. so I'd let them get on with it.

Or .. you could go in and look ... but I wouldn't.

 

[masterBK]

Queen cells are often capped on the 8th day. Good practice to take an additional small nucleus (eg two frames and dummy board) with another cell as insurance in case the chosen queen goes missing on a mating flight or doesn't get mated properly.

 

[Poly Hive]

I have ways understood that queen cells are capped on day 8. I just did a fast google and several sites agree. Is there new research pointing to day 9?

PH

 

[Swarm]

thanks Swarm

i guess my main question is, when is the last time i need to do that and safely leave ie how many days after removing the queen?

Five days after you remove her. The reason to check before was just in case you missed any.

 

[beeno]

thanks Swarm

i guess my main question is, when is the last time i need to do that and safely leave ie how many days after removing the queen?

I do believe I was taught go in again after six days. By that time there will not be any larvae young enough to make a queen from. You do have to take care though as the QC you originally saved may only be a day from emergence.
Day 1 is after 24 hrs, so to me it is day 9 that the cells is capped.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Day 1 is after 24 hrs, so to me it is day 9 that the cells is capped.

After 24 hours is surely day 2
Day 1 is the day the egg is laid
Like the first day of your life is the day you were born

 

[pargyle]

Day 1 is after 24 hrs, so to me it is day 9 that the cells is capped.

I agree ... though the day number is pretty irrelevant as I've seen queen cells capped at day 7 if they feel inclined bees will do what they do ... presumably if they think the larvae is ready to start pupating they cap it off !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

capped on day 7-8 in my experience.
Day 1 being from 0 to 24 hours
Day 2 starts at 24 hours and 1 second after egg is laid
But then again, I'm only on my fifth glass of port, so that may change

 

[Repwoc]

I have ways understood that queen cells are capped on day 8. I just did a fast google and several sites agree. Is there new research pointing to day 9?

PH

I suppose it depends if you call the day the egg was laid day 0 or day 1.

An egg is an egg for 3 days and queen larvae are larvae for 5.5 days. (https://web.archive.org/web/20061231022527/http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/~stone2/bee_life_stages.html)

So starting from 0, eggs hatch on day 3 and are sealed on day 8.5.

Starting from 1, eggs hatch on day 4 and are sealed on day 9.5.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I suppose it depends if you call the day the egg was laid day 0 or day 1.

An egg is an egg for 3 days and queen larvae are larvae for 5.5 days. (https://web.archive.org/web/20061231022527/http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/~stone2/bee_life_stages.html)

So starting from 0, eggs hatch on day 3 and are sealed on day 8.5.

Starting from 1, eggs hatch on day 4 and are sealed on day 9.5.

Maybe that’s why the books say 8/9

 

[Cuckmere couple]

so

last check 5-6 days after removing the queen is ok?

 

[Erichalfbee]

so

last check 5-6 days after removing the queen is ok?

That’s what I do

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks E

 

[B+.]

so

last check 5-6 days after removing the queen is ok?

If the queen has just laid an egg when you remove her, in 3 days that egg will be a larva (the perfect age to make into a queen). If you are confident that you can find ALL 2-3 day cells, you're fine checking after 5-6 days.
Personally, I wait until the last egg laid would become a sealed cell and remove them all. Then I know they are hopelessly queenless and I can do whatever I want with them.