playcups

[frenchbees]

Does anyone have pictures of playcups?

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[kathrynat]

That is a really lovely photo. So clear

 

[Erichalfbee]

credit where credit's due............Google

 

[Ape Resi]

As I am a new beekeeper could you tell me what is a play cup? What is it's purpose?
I think I have a few and was worrying they are queen cups in the making
Thanks resi

 

[Midland Beek]

Excellent picture. And what nice, yellowy bees with some greyish segments as well.

All bees will typically build queen cell cups, and it is perhaps wrong to view them as a pre-cursor to swarming. Of your three types of queen cell, two of the types are constructed on queen cell cups: queen cells built under the swarming impulse, and queen cells built when the bees want to supersede their queen. Emergency queen cells are built differently; around larvae in normal worker cells. If you follow all that ... for the bees to rear new queens under the swarming impulse or for the purpose of supersedure, the queen first of all has to lay a fertile egg in a queen cell cup. And all eggs laid in queen cell cups do not turn into new queens: if the owrkers want to raise new queens they will raise them, and if they do not want to raise new queens they will destroy those eggs.

 

[frenchbees]

Thanks for the lovely pic. I assumed I knew what I was looking for, then had doubts.
Would you be looking for them only on the bottom of the frames as a precursor to swarming? These seem to be within the frame.

 

[RichieDug]

Is it always the case that swarm Queen cells are dimpled and supercedure Queen cells are smooth?

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Thanks for the lovely pic. I assumed I knew what I was looking for, then had doubts.
Would you be looking for them only on the bottom of the frames as a precursor to swarming? These seem to be within the frame.

Cups can be on the bottom of the frame too. You may see an egg in one and then it may be removed. Time to consider swarm control is when there is royal jelly in there - a milky white sludge - with the larva sitting in the middle.

Rough Timings:-
Egg - 3 days.
Queen Larvae 5 days before being sealed.
Sealed Queencell. 8 days.

adam

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Is it always the case that swarm Queen cells are dimpled and supercedure Queen cells are smooth?

In simple terms .. No!