Q cell

[biglad]

Hi all newbie to it all. Inspected my hive yesterday there was ten frames full of brood with bees on all . I also found three play cups. And one I think was a queen cell . It was on the bottom end of a frame . Removed them . It wasn't sealed . Will thay keep making them ? . My queen is a this years qeen if that's any difference. So I put on a QE on and a supper . Cheers Neil

 

[MandF]

play cups are just that, and nothing to worry about until you see an egg in one!

 

[enrico]

They may.....keep looking!

 

[scuttlefish]

I'm still a relative newbie as well, but to me that sounds like what you did was about right. I'd check again in seven days just in case (eggs hatch after three days and [for queens] are sealed after another five) so by checking every seven days you can usually* keep ahead of them sealing queen cells.

Out of curiosity, was there a mix of eggs, larvae and sealed brood?

*"usually" because if they decide to make an emergency queen out of a young larva they can have a sealed queen cell in around five days - but to my limited experience it doesn't sound like you need to worry about that.

 

[biglad]

Hi to my limited experience there was a good mix . Plenty of stores . And the queen still laying eggs . Neil

 

[oliver90owner]

if they decide to make an emergency queen out of a young larva they can have a sealed queen cell in around five days

Emergency queen cells are a different ball game . Nowt to do with swarming.

It can (and does) happen if the beek knocks down swarm cells thinking 'that will keep them from swarming before the next inspection in a week's time'.

If they develop play cups into active queen cells there is no real problem with weekly inspections.

The question you should have asked yourself (or you should have been checking for during inspections) was whether the brood nest was still expanding or not. A different approach exists for each situation.

 

[george]

Agree with all of the above .
Cups are just that until they have an egg and royal jelly is being added . Workers remove them if laid in error .
They can and will take a larvae and use that which reduces the time taken to seal a qc but I normally find this only happens after I have had a couple of goes at knocking down queen cells .
Check for space as mentioned , especially laying space . Drawn comb is valuable at this point .
Maybe look in 6 days just to be sure ?
G

 

[beeno]

QC

if they decide to make an emergency queen out of a young larva they can have a sealed queen cell in around five days

Hi Neil and RAB,
Powers that be have taught me that they can make it in two. That is:3 days as and egg + making it out of a three day old larva = 6 days and sometimes the seal QC on the 8th day, which leaves the beek two days inspection schedule max. Must rush I can hear bees!

 

[itma]

Hi all newbie to it all. Inspected my hive yesterday there was ten frames full of brood with bees on all . I also found three play cups. And one I think was a queen cell . It was on the bottom end of a frame . Removed them . It wasn't sealed . Will thay keep making them ? . My queen is a this years qeen if that's any difference. So I put on a QE on and a supper . Cheers Neil

Neil, your National has 11 frames max, usually!
You have 10 frames, "full of brood".
I'd say the brood box is pretty full. Which is a definite swarm trigger.

Was that the first super that you added?
Is it used and full of drawn comb, or new and only foundation?

If its foundation only, I'd take out the QX until they have clearly got started on drawing the foundation. And the box would have been better under the brood at least a couple of weeks ago, as a means of getting them started drawing out your first shallow frames. Sometimes they can be really reluctant to start the job.
Here's hoping you are lucky!

Having found a charged Queen Cell, don't panic, but do go back over the other frames and look very carefully indeed for more.
And I'd suggest you do that as soon as you can.
If you have more swarm cells (and I think from what you've said that its quite likely) then you will need to do an Artificial Swarm to keep your bees (albeit in two colonies rather than one for a little while).
And that needs some spare kit. Make sure you have it or can borrow it the moment you might find you need it.
You won't prevent swarming by destroying QCs. Fact. They'll manage to beat you, sooner or later.
If you do an AS, you'll be bringing on a couple of those QCs. So don't shake bees off frames that have QCs you want to keep. Shaking messes up the new Qs development.

Download and study the excellent Welsh booklet on Queen Cells and what to do --
http://www.wbka.com/pdf/a012queencells.pdf

Good luck - this is where beekeeping really starts!