Puzzled

[ShinySideUp]

Last Sunday week (26th April) I did an inspection on a hive and found two queen cells ready to be sealed. There was BIAS in the hive. From the number and location I thought 'supercedure' so I took down the smaller of the queen cells and left them to it.

They have not swarmed.

Today (7th May) the queen cell I left intact is still there but empty, there are eggs in the BB but there is also another queen cell in a different place which is capped. I left it as I have no idea what's going on.

Did they not like their new queen? Did the old queen not like the new queen and kill her? If the queen was new she would have had to get mated pretty sharpish to be laying already anyway.

Although I can't find her there must be a queen in there for the new eggs to be laid.

What is the new queen cell for? Are they trying to supercede again?

I can go in again in a couple of days (supposed to be nice on Saturday) with the sole aim of finding a queen but what if I find her and the queen cell is still there?

The hive was pretty teasy (Cornish phrase for irritable) but not unexaminable.

Suggestions?

 

[oliver90owner]

The bees know best. You would expect the old queen to be present until the new queen is proven? Eventually there will only be one queen.

Let them sort it out, and leave them alone to get on with it, is my suggestion. You, mucking around with the brood, will do no good whatsoever. Pointless interfering unnecessarily.

 

[Heather]

Bees tend to work things out for themselves.. If you are sure they are not in swarm mode.. let them crack on with their behaviour. You have eggs there, not drone laying.. all is well.

 

[pargyle]

Rab and Heather are both spot on ... unnecessary inspections and disturbance of the brood causes stress .. it sets the colony back several days and stress can lead to disease. I try to inspect as little as possible and my inspections never involve intensive searching for the queen .. even when you need to find a queen there are often options where you can avoid tearing the hive apart. If all is well - leave well alone.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I'm afraid my point has been missed and instead emphasis has been placed on a second proposed visit to the hive in question. I put this forward if I was given advice which might require opening the hive agin, I otherwise have no intention of inspection until at least Wednesday of next week.

My post was intended to elicit a possible explanation as to why a new queen would emerge but then have the bees create another QC.

No matter, I do not expect this colony to swarm as it is showing no signs of it as the new QC is capped and there has been no unusual activity in the last weeks so I shall just wait and see but I confess I am intrigued.

 

[For want of a better word]

he hive was pretty teasy (Cornish phrase for irritable) but not unexaminable

Q may have left with a swarm... but the swarm lost her ?? was she clipped?... then the swarm returned to hive.

Girls was tad teasy because they were queenless?
To be sure time will tell

Chons da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If it was supersedure, good chance they made another QC as you tore down their 'reserve' one (unlike what the comics tell you - you often get more than one QC with supersedure, and usually the same age) first queen would have emerged and dealt with the still sealed QC. good chance it will still be there next week and the week after - with a dead queen inside.

 

[drex]

I believe I am a " thinking" beekeeper, but sometimes I just cannot figure out what the bees are doing, so my response is always just to let them get on with it.
" bees do nothing invariably "

 

[beeno]

I believe I am a " thinking" beekeeper, but sometimes I just cannot figure out what the bees are doing, so my response is always just to let them get on with it.
" bees do nothing invariably "

Hi Shiny, Can you please clarify what you mean by "empty" as in nothing in there when you opened it or exited as in emerged queen that has cut herself out? It could of course have been resealed by workers? Did it have any Royal Jelly in it?

 

[ShinySideUp]

Hi Shiny, Can you please clarify what you mean by "empty" as in nothing in there when you opened it or exited as in emerged queen that has cut herself out? It could of course have been resealed by workers? Did it have any Royal Jelly in it?

Empty as in used and emerged. When I first saw it it was sealed and this last inspection it just had a hole in the bottom so a queen had emerged.

If it was supersedure, good chance they made another QC as you tore down their 'reserve' one (unlike what the comics tell you - you often get more than one QC with supersedure, and usually the same age) first queen would have emerged and dealt with the still sealed QC. good chance it will still be there next week and the week after - with a dead queen inside.

That's new to me, I'll remember that for next time.

So, to update:

Well, during the next inspection I will definitely be able to find out what happened. This morning, my neighbour, whose house is next to my garden (strange garden layout in Cornwall means I'm 70 metres from my garden but he is next to it), phoned and told me the bees were 'busy', by which he ,means 'bloody noisy'. I rushed up but all was now quiet with no clusters in the trees from which I presume that we have had a mating flight; dammit, I missed another one. I'll leave that particular hive for a couple of weeks now.

PS I have a crazy hive that produces more bees and hoiney than I have ever seen in a colony and they have already filled a super. Good honey year coming hopefully.

 

[beeno]

Empty as in used and emerged. When I first saw it it was sealed and this last inspection it just had a hole in the bottom so a queen had emerged.



That's new to me, I'll remember that for next time.

So, to update:

Well, during the next inspection I will definitely be able to find out what happened. This morning, my neighbour, whose house is next to my garden (strange garden layout in Cornwall means I'm 70 metres from my garden but he is next to it), phoned and told me the bees were 'busy', by which he ,means 'bloody noisy'. I rushed up but all was now quiet with no clusters in the trees from which I presume that we have had a mating flight; dammit, I missed another one. I'll leave that particular hive for a couple of weeks now.

PS I have a crazy hive that produces more bees and hoiney than I have ever seen in a colony and they have already filled a super. Good honey year coming hopefully.

"Bloody noisy" because of all the drones that are drawn to the virgin!