Puzzling situation: mated queen finally laying... and several queen cells!

[astabada]

Hello everyone,
for those of you who remember my problem:
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=25304
I can now confirm that the queen (new or old, well we'll see with the new bees) is now finally laying! I have found eggs on about 3/4 frames.
One big problem now, the bees have started making new queen cells! I must have found almost 10 queen cells (with eggs in it).
Is it because she has frayed wings?
Or maybe the old dark bees are somehow hoping to replace her?

 

[MuswellMetro]

your bees have i think harrassed the bought marked red new queen as she was not their queen, damaging her wings and cleaning off the original red mark

Now, they still don't like her and the black mongrel have decided to get rid of the Italian queen at the earliest opportunity..

Two choices, at least ,let them make a new queen or keep knocking down the QC until she is surrounded by her own worker bees

I find it better to establish a bought Italian queen in a nuc then combine with a black mongrel hive rather than just requeen a black mongrel hive,

i also find if they reject her, that the difference in Italian and mongrels can mean that any queen crosses are aggressive , i assume as their DNA is too difference between strains of bee

 

[itma]

Are they swarm cells, because the new Q has not enough room to lay because they have filled the BB with nectar and honey while there was no new brood?



You could (remove all the QCs and) pull out all stores-only frames from the BB and replace them with drawn comb (instant space and no full larder). There is a slight chance that might cure the swarm fever.
And look again in 3 days time. (Not 7.)

Otherwise, I think you need to be moving into Artificial Swarm mode yourself. Pronto.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Are they swarm cells, because the new Q has not enough room to lay because they have filled the BB with nectar and honey while there was no new brood?

You could (remove all the QCs and) pull out all stores-only frames from the BB and replace them with drawn comb (instant space and no full larder). There is a slight chance that might cure the swarm fever.
And look again in 3 days time. (Not 7.)

Otherwise, I think you need to be moving into Artificial Swarm mode yourself. Pronto.

/good points, They might not turn into queencells if just eggs, the workers could police the eggs and remove them, could be just a young queen laying everywhere

 

[Finman]

.
Too much imagination in these discussions.
If the queen has problems, you just are a little bit harsh and get a new queen. It does not need much philosophy.

Queen cells are a design that they are not satisfied with queen.

BUT 10 queen cells layed seems like swarming. Typical supercede cells are about 5.

BUT new queen does not typically swarm.

Australians have researched that bees renew 30% out of posted queens, and espeacially if they are layed under 2 weeks in mating hive.

.

 

[astabada]

I destroyed all the queen cells and will check again on Saturday, just to be safe. I thought I could go on inspecting the hive twice a week for a few weeks, at least until most of the old dark bees have been replaced by the new ones. And then decide. If they still want to swarm then I'll probably buy a new queen.
It looked like the queen had some space to lay, not much I have to say, probably about 3/4 frames.
It was our first time so we things didn't really go smoothly. We ordered an introduction cage with the new queen but the supplier didn't send it and didn't reply to our emails for some time. When she finally replied she said we could use the cage she sent the queen in (a very small one). So we did what she said..

To be honest I'm a bit surprised she survived, our bees are evil!

 

[Cazza]

To be honest I'm a bit surprised she survived, our bees are evil!

With nasty bees, queen introduction is more likely to work if you go slowly and introduce to a nuc first and then combine the nuc to the evil hive.
Cazza

 

[astabada]

With nasty bees, queen introduction is more likely to work if you go slowly and introduce to a nuc first and then combine the nuc to the evil hive.
Cazza

Yeah, I think next time I'll probably do that, or try to get a local but good queen bee