Queen- blocked sting chamber?

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Antipodes

Queen Bee
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
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Location
lutruwita
Hive Type
Langstroth
I inspected a hive at an out apiary early September...I think...following our winter.

I noticed good numbers of bees but no brood. All other hives had stacks of brood.

I searched the colony for eggs and a queen but nothing. No signs of a laying worker.

I transferred some brood with eggs from an adjacent hive and checked it a few days later. No queen cells. I repeated a brood transfer. Still nothing...no new eggs or queen cells. I did it one final time and still nothing but found the queen on the last frame I put in. Photo attached ...they kept covering her up so I can't show you the egg that was stuck on the end of her abdomen...fully out however. The only eggs in the hive were on the last single frame I added Sunday but I don't know which queen laid them. They were on the bottom of the cells but noticeably to one side of the base.

I put the frame in early Sunday afternoon and inspected them today (Wednesday) at about 11am.

How old do the eggs on the photos look to anyone and how old does the queen look from what you can see of her?

How old do the remnants of the queen cell look?

ThanksIMG_20200923_104001895_HDR.jpg
 

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Click on once to enlarge image and then double click on it to enlarge to see eggs...although Image 4 above is ok too. Thanks!IMG_20200923_104001895_HDR.jpg
 
So you have a colony with a queen you've now found and she hasn't been laying over winter, correct?

If the queen that went into winter was marked and or clipped and this one isn't, then it's a new (supercedure) queen which hasn't mated is a best guess. The queencell you mention could be a broken down queencell or it could be something and nothing.
 
So you have a colony with a queen you've now found and she hasn't been laying over winter, correct?

If the queen that went into winter was marked and or clipped and this one isn't, then it's a new (supercedure) queen which hasn't mated is a best guess. The queencell you mention could be a broken down queencell or it could be something and nothing.


Yes, sort of. Thanks for having a go at answering the questions. I think the queen I spotted is probably (but I guess not necessarily) mated as there was an egg that had presumably come from her, stuck on her abdomen.

There was an unmarked queen in the hive going into winter, as there was brood and eggs in the hive. First inspection in early spring and strangely no brood or eggs. Given that they carry a little bit of brood and eggs through the year particularly from the shortest day, I assumed the original queen had either died or blocked up....but most likely the first assumption was in my mind.

After adding frames of eggs at appropriate intervals over the last 3 weeks, with no queen cells made, (and then spotting a queen), I assume there was a queen there 3 weeks ago (but certainly not laying). Some eggs were on the last frame donated, but not sure how old they are from looking at them (hence the question about the eggs); they could be from the queen in the donor hive. Old looking remnants of queen cell/s spotted, but not sure how old? Any more opinioins there? Queen was wandering around with an egg stuck to the end of her abdomen (never seen that before....anyone else?). Not sure if the amount of hair on her thorax tells anything of her age?

1. It could be the original queen had a blockage, but has now just recommenced laying again and is laying eggs in a slightly odd place in the cells (right over to one side)
2. A winter supercedure and the new queen is just starting to lay and is off centre at the moment with her laying, and has laid only a handful of eggs. Thousands and thousands more to come.

Next inspection will of course will largely reveal the answer.

Thanks
 
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If all your "other colonies had stacks of brood" then there is a problem. Look forward to hearing what it can be?
 
Just a thought, Nosemic queens may stop laying.

I'm keen of course to have another look, but better wait until the cold front is through. Always seems to get bitter and windy when stuffing around with queens. She is in the foothills of this mountain, just snowed on.
 

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Ok, had another look. I know everyone on the forum is waiting eagerly for the update.

The queen is laying more, not all double eggs but as you can see from the photo, quite a few, so I'm assuming she is a recently mated queen. Much better photos of her attached.

I also found a queen cup with an egg in it. Recently laid as it is standing upright. No royal jelly inside it. Clicking on thumbnail and then double clicking on the image should magnify it.

Thanks
 

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You seem to have some chalkbrood in there which prevents a colony from thriving.
 
You seem to have some chalkbrood in there which prevents a colony from thriving.

Yes, well spotted. Lots of chalkbrood here. It is our number one disease.
I'm re-queening as best as I can, which is certainly helping.
 
Did you make anything of the queen cup with the egg in it? That was the only egg on that frame and the only queen cup.
 
Did you make anything of the queen cup with the egg in it? That was the only egg on that frame and the only queen cup.
Yes, they may be wanting to supersede her which you do not want!
 
I was thinking along the lines that them replacing her might not be a bad thing. She must have mated in late winter, very early spring, if she actually did at all. I'll need to check on what the eggs turn into. I reduced the size of the box to about 40 litres the other day.
Actually, is it a queen cell rather than a queen cup...because it has an egg in it?
 
Genetic component to chalkbrood i.e. re-queen from different strain.
 
It is not charged at the moment, but it may well be in a couple of days time. If you left it as it was in the picture then the chances are they may well rebuild it.
 
It is not charged at the moment, but it may well be in a couple of days time. If you left it as it was in the picture then the chances are they may well rebuild it.

Yes, I broke it up a bit with the hive tool to help see inside. So it needs to have royal jelly in it as well to be considered a queen cell , rather than just an egg?
 
. So it needs to have royal jelly in it as well to be considered a queen cell , rather than just an egg?
That’s how I look at them. Queen cup is neither here nor there and during the season I would just look in as normal in a week. Queen cup with an egg I check three days later. Queen cup with royal jelly in it is a queen cell.
 

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